New Trials and Tribulations
by rooster dawn
Summary: Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts.
1. Chapter 1

Title: _**New Trials and Tribulations**_

Author: _rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoilers: season seven

Disclaimers: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts.

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

_part one Harm and Mac go to Afghanistan_

1400 hours

1 May 2002

Admiral's office

The Admiral had just gotten off the telephone with the SecNav. A very important member of Al Qaeda had been apprehended and being held on the Seahawk. The Navy was going to conduct a Tribunal on the Aircraft Carrier Seahawk.

Webb had been interrogating the terrorist for the last few days. He would have all the pertinent information they needed when the Jag personnel arrived. The Admiral called Harm and Mac into his office. After they were seated the Admiral inform them of the situation.

"The third highest member of the Al Qaeda has been apprehended and is awaiting trial on the Seahawk. I'm sending the two of you to the Seahawk to prosecute him." began the Admiral.

"Who will be defending him Sir." asked Harm curiously. It didn't sound like a job he wanted to do.

"Commander Turner and myself." replied the Admiral.

"Why Sir?" asked Mac. Why would he put himself into the media spotlight for a terrorist?

"Because we want to show the world that we are serious in prosecuting terrorism, but also that they will have the best available defense too. We have to ensure that he will get a fair trial." continued the Admiral.

"Any more questions? If not you're dismiss. We are leaving at 1000 hours tomorrow morning out of Norfolk." finished the Admiral.

2000 hours

Harm's Apartment

Harm and Mac left JAG early to go home and get ready for their trip. They anticipated they would be away for at least two weeks. Harm invited Mac over for dinner so that they could go over their plans to prosecute the terrorist.

Harm was busy in the kitchen when the door bell rang. He had set the table with the good china. He had also put candles and flowers on the table and had soft music playing in the background for ambience.

Harm went to the door to let Mac in. Mac looked up when the door open and gave Harm a big smile.

"I'm not too early am I?" asked Mac as she greeted Harm.

"Come in Mac. Dinner is almost ready." smiled Harm as he greeted her.

"It smells good Harm what are we having?" asked Mac as Harm took her coat to hang it up.

"We're having vegetarian lasagna, salad, bread sticks, and chicken parmesan." smiled Harm. "You look very nice Mac, is that a new outfit?"

"Thank you Harm. Yes it is, and you don't look so bad yourself. Do we have time to talk about the case before diner?" asked Mac.

"About fifteen minutes." replied Harm.

"There really isn't too much we can talk about until we get there. All the important information about the case is on the Seahawk with Bud." commented Mac.

"True, but we can assume that the Admiral will pull out all the tricks he has in his bag in an effort to defend the Terrorist. We have to consider all the possible defense strategies." smiled Harm.

They both then yelled out "first chair!" before smiling. Harm took a coin out of his pocket. He flip the coin. He wasn't paying much too attention to what he was doing.

Mac looked so gorgeous, that it was very difficult for him to focus on anything else but her. Mac yelled out "Tails!" as the coin ended up under the table. Harm and Mac both went down onto their hands and knees to look under the table. They bumped their heads in an effort to see who won the toss.

"Ouch! Heads, you win. You're first chair Harm." moaned Mac.

"I'll be gentle." smiled Harm.

"Don't be gentle, be good." Mac said to Harm.

"I can be gentle and good." replied Harm as he took Mac's face with his right hand and gave Mac a passionate kiss. After dinner they retired to the bedroom for some nighttime activities.

0800 hours

4 May

on the Seahawk

After a long and tedious trip the JAG contingent finally arrived on board the Seahawk. They were anxious to get going. Bud was there to greet them upon their arrival. Bud had assigned Ensign Brown to take them to their quarters.

Ensign Brown dropped the Admiral off first. He had a large single room due his high rank. Sturgis was assigned to bunk with Bud during the duration of his stay. Harm and Mac were surprised when they were given the same quarters.

"What's the matter Sir?" asked the young Ensign a little surprised.

"They don't usually have men and women bunking together in the same quarters Ensign." replied Harm.

"Sorry Sir, but we have very limited space available. There were only two available quarters for JAG personnel. All the other quarters are full due to the attention of this trial." responded the Ensign.

"I understand from Lieutenant Roberts that the two of you go away together a lot on assignments. This isn't anything new for you is it Sir?"

"What are you implying Ensign?" questioned Harm.

"Nothing Sir." replied Ensign Brown as he realized what he had said. He didn't say anything more.

After the Ensign left Harm turned to Mac and said "Remind me to have a talk with Bud and his loose lips."

"What's the matter Harm, you don't want to hot bunk with a marine." teased Mac.

"It's not that and you know it. It's the feed back from the Admiral and Sturgis that I'm worried about when they find out we're bunking in the same cabin." responded Harm.

"Then don't say anything Harm. They're going to be too busy defending their client to worry about whether or not we're sleeping together." smiled Mac.

Harm looked down at her and gave her a kiss.

"What would I do without you?" smiled Harm as he shook his head.

"Hopefully you're not going to find out anytime soon." smile Mac.

As they thought the trial lasted about ten days. They spent a couple of days preparing for the case before going to trial. Harm and Mac took turns hammering home the prosecution's case.

The Admiral and Turner fought hard and diligently in their effort to defend their client, but were no match for the dynamic duo. Turner came away very impressed.

This had been the first time he had seen Harm and Mac working in the courtroom together as a team. He couldn't believe how good they worked together. All the things he had ever heard about them were true, they were the best. He went over to them after the trial to congratulate them.

"Nice job Commander, Colonel. I had heard that you two work well together, but you were much better than I expected. It's no wonder why you both are considered the best team in all of JAG." grinned Turner.

"Thank you Sturgis. You and the Admiral did a good job with what little you had to work with." replied Mac.

"I don't know about that Colonel. I've work with and against the two of you in the last year. I knew you both were good lawyers, but the way you both work together on this case, it just blew me away. I don't think it's possible to beat the two of you together." replied Turner as he shook his head in amazement.

"Thanks Sturgis, but remember we've been working together for over five years. We know how to argue a case between us that allows us to be very prepare to handle anything that comes our way. We also know how to get the opposition to do our job for us too." smiled Harm.

"It's our secret weapon." laughed Mac.

"We give the appearance that we are fighting each other, but in reality we are only hashing out all the possibilities. It gives the opposition a false sense of optimism." continued Mac.

"So what's this I hear, the two of you are hot bunking together. How'd you managed that Commander?" asked Turner with a large grin.

"You heard about that did you. Does the Admiral know?" asked Harm.

"If he does he didn't hear it from me." replied Turner.

"Bud put us together. He figure that it wouldn't look good if the Admiral was bunking with Mac. And he knows Bobbie is the jealous type. Bobbie has always envied Mac for spending so much time with me. Bud also likes you Sturgis. He wants you and Bobbie to be together." smiled Harm.

"So this had nothing to do with you and Mac being in love with each other?" replied Turner.

"No Sturgis, this has to do with no room at the inn. Get your mind out of the gutter." smiled Harm.

0900 hours

13 May

JAG Headquarters

After the trial was over the Admiral and Turner returned to JAG. The Admiral was first greeted by Lieutenant Singer who he had left in charge of the administration side of JAG. She gave him a full report of all that was accomplished while he was gone including holding a fire drill.

Fifteen minutes later he was greeted by Lieutenant Sims. Who began her conversation with the Admiral by sucking up telling him how much he was miss. (Yeah right, when the cat is away, the mice get to play) Then she went on complaining about Singer. The Admiral had to stop her after a few minutes.

"Lieutenant Sims, enough. I left her in charge because she needs experience being in command. I left clear instructions with her about what I expected from her. She did exactly as I directed. I will not except this attitude and back stabbing from you Lieutenant. You're too good of an officer, I thought better of you." bellowed the Admiral.

"Yes Sir." sniveled Harriet.

"I know you miss your husband, but you need to learn to control yourself and not take it out on others. Do you understand Lieutenant?" demanded the Admiral.

"Yes Sir." wailed Harriet.


	2. Chapter 2

__

part two The search for Kabir

15 May 2002

In Afghanistan

After the trial was over Webb informed Harm and Mac that the terrorist's brother was in the process of purchasing something very expensive, possibly a Russian Sub.

Webb requested that Harm and Mac assist him in the investigation. The Admiral agreed to his request. Harm and Mac were going 'In Country' to a small village in central Afghanistan. They were looking for a man with one blue eye and one brown eye named Kabir.

He had been seen in Russia after it had been report that 250,000,000 had been transferred from an Al Qaeda account in Iran to a Russian bank account. They had heard he had been seen later in a small village in central Afghanistan.

They were going to check out the report. They were going to check in with Gunny to see if he knew anything. They would interview some of the locals to find out any information that they could.

Harm and Mac were busy bantering back and forth on their way to one of the villages with Mac, who was driving, not paying close attention to the road. She didn't see the herd of goats that suddenly appeared in front of her in the middle of the road.

She swerved to avoid hitting them. Unfortunately the jeep that she was driving went off the road detonating a couple of land mines. Harm was thrown from the jeep and landed unharmed in the middle of the minefield.

Harm was a little dazed as he stood up. He was about to take a step when Mac called out "Don't move Harm! You're in a minefield."

"Are you sure Mac?" asked Harm as he tried to regain his bearings.

"The jeep has two blown tires Harm. It didn't happen by just going off the road." replied Mac sarcastically.

"Well I'm going to walk towards you anyway. I don't plan on standing here all night. There doesn't appear to be any in front of me." responded Harm.

"Be careful Harm, there could be another mine. Take it one step at a time." ordered Mac.

Harm slowly moved forward one step at a time. On the third step he heard a click. He was only two steps away from the jeep.

"Don't move Harm. We have to find something to replace your weight on the mine." ordered Mac as she looked around the back of the jeep.

"I doubt you're going to find a two hundred pound rock Mac. And even if you did I doubt very much that you could move it." replied Harm with a pale smile.

"I don't need to Harm. We just need to put something there in place of your foot long enough for you to get away. Here's a thirty pound ammo box." directed Mac as she jump out of the jeep landing between the jeep and Harm.

"Why did you do that Mac? You could have killed yourself. You could have landed on a mine too." whined Harm.

"Not likely flyboy. They wouldn't put two mines that close together." replied Mac as she lifted the ammo box off the jeep.

"As I slide the box over the mine, I want you to pull your foot back." ordered Mac.

"Okay Mac, but then I want you to get on the other side of the jeep and take cover." responded Harm.

Mac did as directed. Then on the count of three Harm took one step onto the ammo box and jumped over the hood of the jeep landing on top of Mac as the mine exploded.

"You alright Mac?" asked Harm.

"I will be once you get off me. I think you bruised one of my ribs when you landed on top of me." moaned Mac.

"I had to make sure you didn't get hit by any shrapnel. By the way where did you learn to do something so dumb?" asked Harm.

"I saw it in a movie." replied Mac as she gather her gear and started walking away from the jeep leaving Harm behind.

Harm stood there in disbelief. He couldn't believe she said she saw it in a movie. What they did in movies never worked in real life. He shook his head and gathered his gear. He then ran after Mac to catch up with her.

Night fall came quickly. Harm and Mac had moved to the higher ground to settle in for the night. Mac laid down two blankets on the ground ten feet apart and laid their gear in between. She laid down on one of the blankets. Harm was surprised at her actions.

They had gotten a lot closer the last few months. This maneuver of hers reminded him of their first night together in Arizona. He was expecting that they would snuggle up close together in each other's arms to keep each other warm tonight.

"What are you doing over there Mac?" asked a perplexed Harm.

Mac with a coy smile told him "I'm getting ready to go to sleep. Why?"

"It's going to get cold tonight. We should share body heat Mac." responded Harm.

"Is that so flyboy." smiled Mac.

"Yes. Do I need to issue you an invitation?" asked Harm.

"Yes." smiled Mac coyly resisting the urge to start giggling. She loved where they were in their relationship. It allowed for playful bantering without either one feeling rejected.

"Will you please come over here and snuggle with me Mac?" pleaded Harm.

Mac got up and laid down with Harm. He open his jacket up and wrapped it around her as she snuggled in next to him. They intertwine their legs around with each other. They shared a pleasant kiss.

As Harm was about ready to talk to Mac about the peacefulness of the night and the stars, all hell started to break loose. Mac wondered what was happening. Harm could tell that there was a bombing run being conducted and it was heading in their direction.

"We better get up Mac." ordered Harm.

"Why?" replied Mac as she began to unwrap herself from Harm.

"It looks like a bombing run. And judging from the sound and the explosions, it's heading this way. We better hurry up and take cover behind those rocks over there." replied Harm.

After it was over they Harm and Mac settled down and resumed their positions.

"This must have be Bud's fault." complained Harm.

"Why do you say that Harm?" asked Mac wondering what Bud had to do with anything.

"He's a little too eager to please the Captain. He wants to show the CAG that he can make the tough decisions that Commander Johnson couldn't. The bombing mission should have been more precise." explained Harm.

When it was over they made themselves comfortable again and went to sleep. The next day they made it back to camp.

22 May 2002

A week later Harm and Mac began tracking down the movements of Kabir. He had rented a truck and was heading west towards Iran. He supposedly had a large package with him. They decide to go to the village in western Afghanistan and check it out.

Harm did all the driving this time. They had to travel a road with two warring faction taking pot shots at them. Harm drove through the night as Mac slept. He would gazed over at her and shake his head. Even wearing BDU's she still looked unbelievably good.

When Harm jostled Mac awake. She noticed it was morning. She looked over to him and asked "Did you drive all night?"

He smiled at her and said "Yes, I wasn't very tired. I wanted to get here as quickly as possible."

"You should have woken me up. I would have share the driving with you." replied Mac sweetly. She knew why he hadn't.

Harm laughed as he replied "The last time I let you drive, I fell out of the jeep and landed in a minefield."

"That wasn't my fault. You should have had your seat belt on. Besides it was your fault for distracting me in the first place." replied Mac with vigor and a sexy look.

"Well I thought you were a good driver. I guess there's a little difference driving a corvette and a jeep." smiled Harm.

"That's true." agreed Mac.

"Besides you looked so peaceful there sleeping. I didn't want to disturb you. You needed your beauty sleep." smile Harm.

"What! Are you saying I'm ugly now flyboy?" responded Mac with a look.

"Of course not Mac. You know I think you're most beautiful woman in the world. But even you need to sleep now and again." replied Harm as he tried to suck up.

An hour later they came to the village that they were looking for. In the center of the village was the truck that Kabir had rented. Inside they saw two dead men, a woman, and three children. They had died from what looked like radiation poisoning.

It occurred to both of them that the package that Kabir had transported here must be material for a dirty bomb or missile. Mac had discovered earlier this year that there was missing radioactive material from a nuclear reactor.

They got on their communication device and called the Seahawk. The Captain of the Seahawk sent a chopper to get back to the ship as quickly as possible. They were checked out for possible radiation poisoning.


	3. Chapter 3

Title:

**_New Trials and Tribulations_**

Author:

_rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoilers: season seven

Disclaimers: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

_Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts._

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

_part three Still the Best of the Best_

24 May 2002

on the Seahawk

After listening to the report given to him by Harm and Mac about Kabir, the Captain of the Seahawk contacted the Admiral and SecNav who were working with the CNO. He informed them of the threat of a dirty nuke of some sort.

The Admiral informed him that there was the possibility of Russian Sub being involved. Intel had informed them that Al Qaeda had purchased one of their older submarines. It was probably somewhere in the Indian Ocean heading in his direction. He was to be on the lookout for it.

Base on the analysis of several experts it was recommended that the missile be shot down before it got within ten miles of the ship because of the radiation fallout would severely injure or kill everyone within ten miles.

The Captain wanted to send up his best two pilots to shoot down the missile. He consulted with his XO about who the best two pilots he had onboard that were good at shooting down missiles.

Most of the aviators he had on board weren't very good at shooting missiles. But the XO did tell the Captain that they did have the world record holder on board.

When he asked who it was, he walk away shaking his head. Was there anything this man couldn't do? He told his XO that as soon as Commander Rabb had been checked out to get his six up to the bridge. He wanted to talk to him.

"Commander Rabb reporting as ordered Sir." reported Harm as he stood at attention.

"I have a mission for you Commander. It seems Washington believes that the Russian sub will be firing a missile and not a torpedo. It seems that you hold the record for shooting down missiles. Suit up and join Lieutenant MacIntire on the flight deck."

"Yes Sir." replied Harm

Harm and his RIO were walking to the deck where they met up with Mac. Harm told the RIO to go on ahead, he would be there in a minute.

"Is there anywhere that you go that you don't find a blond bimbo?" asked Mac with a smile. The RIO was like a cheerleader, she was so bubbly and excited to be flying with Harm. She was also quite young.

"Come on Mac, she can't help being excited. This is the first really important mission she's flying and she has the pleasure of doing so with me." smirked Harm.

"Yeah right Harm. Do me a favor, don't do anything stupid." replied Mac before wishing him good luck.

Harm and Scooter took off. They were the lucky ones chosen to try and shoot down the missile. The most important piece of information that they got from the briefing was, they had to shoot the missile down before it got within ten miles of the ship.

Ten miles was the kill zone. Because if they shot down the missile within the ten miles of the ship the nuclear fallout would kill all of them anyways.

Fifteen minutes into their flight their radar went off letting them know the missile was airborne and heading towards the ship. Harm and Scooter went after the missile. By the time Scooter got a lock on the missile though they were eight miles from the ship.

"Don't fire Scooter. We're within the ten mile kill zone." ordered Harm.

"What are we going to do then?" asked a confused Scooter.

"We have to give the missile an alternative target to the fleet." replied Harm.

"What? How?" asked Scooter. "The missile is on target for the carrier."

"A missile won't lock onto a target until it gets much closer. I'm going to fly ahead of it and let it acquire my tomcat. It will then follow me. Since a tomcat can fly much faster than the missile it shouldn't be a problem." replied Harm.

"But how long can you do that for?" asked Scooter. He wasn't really up to date on the range of Russian missiles.

"The missile's range is much shorter then a tomcat. It should fall out of the sky in less them ten minutes after we pass the ship, well outside the kill zone. You will have to take an exact location where the missile goes down so that a salvage crew can recover it later." responded Harm.

"Okay Sir." replied Scooter.

Harm accelerated his tomcat ahead of the missile. The missile acquired a lock on his tomcat. Harm led the missile pass and away from the ship. It felled harmlessly (no pun intended) into the ocean ten minutes later. Scooter marked the location and they returned to the carrier to a hero's welcome.

Mac watched as Harm's tomcat landed on the deck. She wanted to run over to Harm, take him into her arms, hug him, and never let him go. But she knew she couldn't do it. It wouldn't be appropriate for a senior officer.

She went to the observation deck towards the back of the ship where she and Harm had shared a kiss a few weeks earlier when they were last on the Seahawk. He would know where to find her.

Ten minutes later Harm came out onto the observation deck. Mac greeted him with a smile as he took her into his arms and kissed her. They stayed that way for a few minutes before Mac spoke up.

"Are you alright Harm? That was a pretty heroic stunt you pulled off."

"I had to do it that way Mac. By the time we caught up to the missile it was too close to the fleet to shoot down. I had to give it an alternative target. I knew once the missile homed in on me I could lead it away from the ship.

The missile had a limited range and a tomcat can easily fly faster than the missile." responded Harm to her queries.

"You had me worried for a second, but I knew you knew what you were doing. I had faith in you flyboy." replied Mac as she gave Harm a kiss.

"All I knew was I had to do something. You were on the ship. I had to prevent the missile from killing you." replied Harm.

"I couldn't bear to think about living without you Sarah." continued Harm as he returned the kiss.

"I love you Harm." replied Mac.

"I love you too." responded Harm.

"Let's go down below so everyone can congratulate you Harm." smiled Mac.

"Are you sure Mac. I don't mind not being down there with the boys. I much rather be out here on the observation deck with you." grinned Harm.

"I don't mind Harm. What you did today was remarkable and you saved many lives. You deserved to be recognized for it. Besides you came here looking for me first. I love you for doing that. Let's go and celebrate with everyone." replied a happy Mac.

"It's no wonder why I love you ninja girl. You are one very special lady. And I feel honored to be loved by you." responded Harm.

By the time they got down below to the officer's mess a full blown party was going on. Mac allowed Harm to walk in ahead of her so everyone could congratulate him robustly. Someone gave him a drink while Mac snuck in behind and got a bottle of water.

They all told him it was the most remarkable piece of flying they had ever seen. They were amazed at his quick thinking and that he had the knowledge to come up with the right plan to save the fleet.

Harm's RIO was bouncing all over the mess from the high she was still on. Mac looked on in amazement. No matter where he was or what he was doing, Harm was liked and admired for the great man that he was.

1300 hours

25 May 2002

In Afghanistan

A next day Bud and Petty Officer Jennifer Coates were on their way to the local village. The people wanted to thank Bud for getting the Navy to pay for rebuilding their school.

They were about a half mile from the village when they saw a small child playing in a field. Bud feared the child was in a mine field. He directed Jennifer to go to the village to get some help.

He called out several times to the child "don't move!"

But the child either didn't listen to him or didn't understand. Bud, thinking about the child's safety and not his own, took a step forward in the direction of the child to the edge of the road.

"BOOM!" Bud had stepped on a mine and it had gone off. He didn't know what hit him. Bud was thrown backwards hitting his head on the ground. Bud was in a state of shock. He was having a seizure. Half his right leg was gone.

Ten minutes later Coates had returned running from the village with some help. Unfortunately there was nothing much they could do. Coates removed Bud's belt from his pants. She grabbed the communications device from Bud's belt.

She tighten the belt around his leg to slow down the bleeding. She then called the Seahawk for help. She explained the situation to the Captain. The Captain sent a helicopter and Med team to pick her and Bud up. When the Med team reached her location, they were shocked to see Bud's condition.

He was missing his right leg and was having severe seizures and convulsions. They did what they could and got him to the Guadalcanal as quickly as possible. But they all knew he was a goner. They had seen this type of injury before. No one they knew ever survived.

1430 hours

on the Guadalcanal

While the Med team was operating on Bud aboard the Guadalcanal, the Captain of the Seahawk informed Harm and Mac about Bud. He had stepped on a mine and was being operated on, on the Guadalcanal.

They were flown over to the Guadalcanal where they found Coates in deep despair. She tried to explain to them what happen to Bud as she began to sob uncontrollably. Harm tried to console Coates the best he could.

He looked over to see Mac was about ready to cry too. He managed to get them both to a more private location where he could console them both. When he finally had them both settled down. He suggested that they go down to the infirmary to check on Bud.

When they got there Harm asked one of the medics about Bud. He was told that Bud was in surgery. The surgery would probably last another three or four hours. Harm and Mac decided to go to the mess hall to get some coffee and something to eat.

"Do you think we should call Harriet?" asked Mac as they sat down to eat.

"No Mac. We don't really know anything yet. And even if we do tell her, there's nothing she can do but worry until he's out of surgery. I think we should wait until he's out of surgery before we let anyone know.

We probably should tell the Admiral. He'll make sure someone is with her after she hears whatever news we have." replied Harm solemnly.

"I still can't believe it Harm. Poor Bud." wailed Mac softly.

"I know Mac. It's horrible. Especially considering that the same thing could have happen to us last week when I stepped on that mine." replied Harm.

"Yes, we were very lucky, but I can't stop thinking about what if? What if Bud dies Harm? What will it do to Harriet? She barely survived baby Sarah's death last year." moaned Mac sullenly.

"She has a lot of friends and family Mac. We all will help her the best we can. I promise." replied Harm as he took her hand in his.

Several hours later the doctor came out of the surgical room and saw Harm and Mac sitting there waiting. She was very tired, but knew she had one more chore to do.

"Are you the doctor who operated on Bud? Is he alright?" asked Mac hopefully.

"I'm sorry to tell you, but we did the best we could, but the Lieutenant's body went into a state of shock that was too much for him to handle. We were able to repair the damage to him, but his body just couldn't respond to the trauma it suffered. I'm sorry, but he's dead." responded the doctor solemnly.

Mac began to sob uncontrollably as Harm held her in his arms.

"Oh Harm! What are we going to do? How can tell Harriet that Bud is dead?" wailed Mac.

It took every ounce of strength Harm had for him not to break down too. He rubbed her back for the next twenty minutes before she was able to compose herself.

"I'll call the Admiral and tell him. He will be able to tell Harriet and console her." replied Harm sullenly.

They went to see the Captain to let him know about Bud death. Afterwards they found Jennifer to tell her that Bud died. They stayed with her for the next hour consoling her and making sure she was alright. They knew what they had to do next was going to be the hardest thing they had ever to do.


	4. Chapter 4

Title:

**_New Trials and Tribulations_**

Author:

_rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoilers: season seven

Disclaimers: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

_Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts._

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

_part four Calling Home_

0900 hours

28 May 2002

JAG Headquarters

Harm went down to the radio room to placed a call to JAG Headquarters. It had to be the most difficult thing in the world that he ever had to do. How do you tell your CO that one of your best friends is dead. He asked to talk to the Admiral.

"JAG Headquarters, Petty Officer Tiner speaking." greeted Jason.

"This is Commander Rabb, I need to talk with the Admiral." replied Harm.

"He's not in Sir. He's in a meeting with the SecNav." replied Tiner.

"Is Commander Turner available?" asked Harm.

"No Sir. He hasn't returned yet from the Watertown. Lieutenant Singer is the only one here." replied Tiner.

"Okay Tiner, get her for me." ordered Harm.

"Are you sure you want to tell her first Harm?" asked Mac.

"No, but she's the only one there. We have been sending our reports to the Admiral through her the last few weeks." replied Harm. "She has been doing a good job."

"Hello Commander Rabb, Lieutenant Singer here Sir." greeted Singer.

"Lauren, I have some very important information that you are to tell only the Admiral and no one else." started Harm.

"Yes Sir, understood Sir." replied Singer.

"Late this afternoon our time Lieutenant Roberts was on a trip to a small village. He saw a small child playing in a field in which he thought had land mines in it.

He tried to tell the child not to move. When the child didn't respond to him, he took several steps in the direction of the child. He stepped on a mine. He died several hours later in surgery." told Harm.

"Oh No!" wailed Singer.

"Lauren, listen to me, you can't tell anyone but the Admiral. Do you understand?" asked Harm.

"Yes Sir. Lieutenant Simms is going to be devastated Sir. Bud was her life." replied Singer stoically.

"Yes I know Lauren. Especially after losing her baby girl last year. That's why I want you to tell the Admiral first. She's going to need everyone's support to help her deal with this tragedy Lauren." explained Harm.

"Yes Sir." replied Singer stoically.

1030 hours

JAG Headquarters

An hour later the Admiral returned from his meeting with the SecNav. He was in a foul mood as usual whenever he had to deal with him. As he was about to enter his office Singer came running up to him.

"Sir, I need to talk to you." greeted Singer.

"Not now Lieutenant, I'm not in the mood." replied the Admiral abruptly.

"Sir! It's very important. It's news from Commander Rabb." exclaimed Singer impatiently. Why did he always think what she had to say was trivial.

"Very well, with me." replied the Admiral as he went into his office.

"What's so damm important Lieutenant that I can't at least go to the break room and get a cup of coffee?" bellowed the Admiral.

"Sir, Commander Rabb called an hour ago with some very bad news. It's seems Lieutenant Roberts stepped on a land mine yesterday afternoon. He's dead Sir." finished Singer as she tried to control her emotions.

"What! Are you sure you heard right? Have you told anyone Lieutenant?" bellowed the Admiral in total disbelief.

"Yes Sir, I'm sure. And no I haven't told anyone. The Commander told me not to Sir. He said Harriet was going to need all our support to deal with this tragedy." sobbed Singer.

"Why did it happen Sir? Bud was a good man. He was a good husband and father besides being a good officer. He wasn't a combat officer." asked Singer.

"Unfortunately it's the price we pay when you go to war. Someone you know always dies." replied a solemn Admiral.

1130 hours

JAG Headquarters

An hour later Tiner finally tracked down Harriet in the law library looking up old case file for Commander Turner. She wanted to have everything ready for him when he returned from the Watertown.

"Ma'am, the Admiral would like to see you in his office." requested Tiner.

"Thank you Tiner." replied Harriet as she hurried back to the offices.

She drop off the materials she had gathered onto Commander Turner's desk. She then hurried to the Admiral's office. She never like to keep the Admiral waiting.

Harriet knocked on the door. The Admiral bellowed "Enter!" Harriet quietly slipped into the Admiral's office where she noticed Lieutenant Singer sitting in one of the chairs. It looked like she had been crying. Harriet wondered what Singer was doing there. No doubt causing her trouble.

"Sit down Harriet. Early this morning we received a call, it came in from Commander Rabb. Lieutenant Singer was the person who took the call." the Admiral told Harriet.

"What did he have to say Sir?" asked Harriet. She hoped that it was some good news about Bud.

Singer stood up in front of Harriet to tell her what Harm had told her.

"Late yesterday afternoon Lieutenant Roberts and Petty Officer Coates were on their way to a small village. Lieutenant Roberts had arranged for the Navy to pay to rebuild a school that the Navy had inadvertently destroyed.

On the way to the village Lieutenant Roberts and Petty Officer Coates came across a small child playing in a field. Lieutenant Roberts thought it a mine field. He sent the Petty Officer to the village to get some help while he tried to get the child to stay put."

Harriet was becoming uneasy. Leave it to Bud to play the hero. She wondered what could have happen.

"Bud took a step towards the side of the road. He step on a land mine." continued Singer solemnly.

"Oh No!" cried Harriet.

"The Petty Officer got back to Lieutenant Roberts quickly with some of the villagers when they heard the explosion. There was nothing they could do. She called the ship for help. A helicopter with a med team was sent to treat Lieutenant Roberts.

They got him back to the ship alive. Surgery was performed on him. I'm sorry to inform you, but Lieutenant Roberts died. His body couldn't cope with the trauma it had suffered." continued Singer with tears in her eyes.

"Oh No!" wailed Harriet as the Admiral went quickly to take her into his arms.

"I'm very sorry Harriet. Bud was a good man, a good husband, and a good father. I had a great deal of respect for him for being able to balance a career with a family." wailed Singer as tears began to flow down her face again.

Singer stood there for a few minutes while she tried to compose herself before leaving the office. The Admiral held Harriet for a long time while she cried. Finally he was able to get her to lie down. He went out to the bull pen area.

"May I have everyone's attention. Early this morning Lieutenant Bud Roberts died from wounds he suffered from stepping on a landmine. Tiner with me."

They went back to his office. "I need you to take Lieutenant Sims home. And on the way pick up her son." ordered the Admiral.

"Yes Sir." replied Tiner.

Now came the hardest part. He had to call Harriet's parent to tell them what happen to Bud. Then he had to impress upon them Harriet's need for them to be there for her.

Next on the agenda he had to call Big Bud and little Mikey to tell them Bud was dead. He knew Big Bud wasn't the most lovable person in the world, but he knew he loved his sons. It would hit him very hard, it would probably devastate him.


	5. Chapter 5

Title:

**_New Trials and Tribulations_**

Author:

_rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoilers: season seven

Disclaimers: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

_Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts._

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

_part five Singer is offered a promotion_

7 June 2002

JAG Headquarters

The Admiral called Lieutenant Singer into his office. The CNO of Naval Operations had been impressed by the preparedness and thoroughness of Lieutenant Singer in her briefings during the nuclear missile threat.

She had thought outside the box to solve the dilemma of the missing sub. She had provided another point of view that was necessary to solve the crisis.

The CNO had called the Admiral asking him if she was available and if so if he would be willing to transfer her to his command. He wanted her fresh approached on his staff. He was offering her a promotion.

"Lieutenant Singer reporting as ordered Sir." responded Singer as she stood at attention.

"Take a seat Lieutenant. You did an outstanding job the last few weeks acting as a liaison between this command and the CNO's office. The CNO was very impress with your attitude, preparedness, and fresh approach. He particularly like your problem solving skills, thinking outside the box." expounded the Admiral.

"Thank you Sir. It was invigorating work." replied Singer.

"I'm glad you think so. Upon the CNO's recommendation, you are being transferred to his staff. He has recommended your promotion to Lieutenant Commander in ninety days if you continue the excellent work you've been doing the last two months. Congratulations Lieutenant." continued the Admiral.

"Thank you Sir." replied Singer.

14 June 2002

Harriet's house

Two weeks later Harriet went into the Admiral's office. She had been suffering for the last two weeks after learning about Bud's death. Even though the JAG staff and her friends did everything possible to help her deal with losing Bud, it wasn't enough. She needed to get away from Washington and the Navy.

The day before she had gone into the Admiral's office with her letter of resignation. She was resigning her commission. Everywhere she look and everything she saw reminded her of Bud. She couldn't take it anymore.

The Admiral tried to talk her out of it. He wanted her to take emergency leave and go home to her parents. Take as much time as she needed to deal with the grief of losing Bud before making any final decisions.

But she knew what she had to do. Bud was her life. That had made the Navy her life too, but without Bud she didn't want to have anything to do with the Navy anymore.

That night she had called Harm and Mac. She needed their help to pack up all her things so that she could move back to Florida. Harm and Mac were happy to come over to help her pack during the weekend.

It had been a very emotional time as she went through all of Bud's stuff. His clothes were pack away to be given to the Salvation Army. His computer and personal effects were looked over very carefully.

Things that she wanted or thought little AJ would want when he got older she kept. What was left over she offered to Bud's friends and family as keepsakes to remember Bud. Anything else was thrown away.

The last thing on Harriet's to do list was to sell her house. She want to sell her house to Harm and Mac. She thought that if they were ready to buy a house together, then maybe they were ready to be with each other.

With Bud gone, the only thing that could make her feel happy would be for Harm and Mac to be together as a couple. It was the only dream she had left in her life. She hope they would make her last dream come true before she went back to Florida and her family.

"Thank you Harm, Mac for coming over here this weekend to help me pack up. I don't think I would have been able to get it all done without your help." wailed Harriet.

"It was our pleasure to help you Harriet. It's what friends are for, to help each other during times of crises." replied Mac.

"What are your plans Harriet?" asked Harm.

"I'm going to sell the house. I plan on moving back to Florida to be closer to my mother and father." replied Harriet.

"We're going to miss you Harriet." wailed Mac as she gave Harriet a hug.

"There's one thing that would make me happy before I leave." began Harriet.

"What's that Harriet?" asked Mac.

"That you and Harm buy this house from me." replied Harriet hopefully.

"I think it's a little out of our price range Harriet." responded a surprised Mac.

"It might be if you were to pay full price, but my father put a large down payment on the house. I can let you have it for what's left on the mortgage." replied Harriet.

"That wouldn't be right Harriet." responded Mac.

"Ma'am, the only reason I agree to pay back the down payment to my father was to make Bud happy. He didn't want to take charity from anyone. He wanted to earn everything himself.

My father never expected to be paid back the money. It was a gift from him and my mother. He won't miss the money. Besides I'm going to be staying in one of the houses my parents own in the area." replied Harriet.

"Okay Harriet, Harm and I will have to talk about it. We'll let you know in a couple of days okay." conceded Mac as she looked over to Harm who nodded in agreement.

"Thank you Mac, Harm." wailed Harriet.

Harm and Mac spent the next couple of days talking and thinking about Harriet's request. They knew they were getting a great house. But they also realized that if they were to buy the house together, then they would be committing themselves to each other for a long time.

Their new relationship as a couple was still new and fresh. They were enjoying the time they were spending together. They weren't sure they wanted to take the next step yet.

Also how would they be able to explain it to the Admiral that they were living together as a couple when they didn't want anyone to know they were even a couple.

To take such a big step, well, they weren't that sure. Finally they decided to go ahead and buy the house to make Harriet happy. They could always sell the house if things didn't work out. Harriet was very happy. For she knew that her best friends were finally making a commitment to be together.

1100 hours

15 July 2002

JAG Headquarters

A month later the Admiral managed to find a replacement for Lieutenant Singer. He managed to get a hold of Commander Caitlin Pike. She had been happy to hear from the Admiral and was ready to return to JAG Headquarters in Washington.

She considered the DC area to be her second home. She had many friends in the area including Harm and Mac. She was very excited to come back to JAG. It had been 18 months since the last time Caitlin was here in Washington.

Mac was engaged to an Aussie Dingo and Ham was dating a blond bimbo. Kate wondered if Mac had married the dingo or not. She really didn't believe Mac would go through with marrying the Aussie Dingo. She knew Mac was really in love with Harm.

She didn't believe that Mac would settle for someone else when it was Harm she really loved and wanted. She also knew that Harm was in love with Mac. It's one of the reasons she left.

She knew she probably could have taken Harm away from the blond bimbo, but she also knew she wouldn't have been able to compete with Mac for Harm's attention.

Caitlin walked into the bull pen area and looked towards Harm and Mac's offices. She could hear a heated discussion coming from Harm's office. She shook her head and smiled.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. She walked over to Harm's office and knocked on the door. When Harm and Mac saw her they got up and gave her a welcome back hug.

"Welcome back Kate!" Harm and Mac both said at once.

"Are you here for a visit or are you here for the duration?" Harm asked with a smile.

"I'm back for good. The time seemed right to come back to Washington. I've missed you both." smiled Caitlin happily.

"Good!" said Mac. "We need more women around here. Though another marine would have been better." laughed Mac.

"It's good to have you back Kate. We've been short handed around here for quite some time." smiled Harm.

"Well I'm happy to be back. Anyone ready for lunch?" asked Caitlin as she heard Mac's stomach growl at the mention of the word lunch.

"That's my marine." smile Harm as he shook his head in disbelief. "If there

are constants in the universe one of them is Mac's sense of timing and the second is she is always hungry."


	6. Chapter 6

Title:

**_New Trials and Tribulations_**

Author:

_rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoilers: season seven

Disclaimers: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

_Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts._

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

_part six_

1200 hours

The Olive Garden

Harm took Kate and Mac out to lunch. While they were there Harm and Mac gave Kate an update about what had happening in the land of JAG starting with themselves.

"So tell me Sarah did you get married last year to the Aussie?" asked Caitlin curiously.

"No, I didn't Kate. Several things happened between the time you left and the day I was going to marry Mic that caused me change my mind." replied Mac apprehensively.

"Such as?" asked Caitlin impatiently.

"Well the first thing that happen, occurred at my engagement party that the Admiral hosted." began Mac.

"What! The Admiral hosted an engagement party. That doesn't sound like him. How in the world did that happen?" asked a puzzled Caitlin.

"Harriet conned him into it. He didn't even know what was happening." laughed Harm.

"Anyway at the party Harm and I spent a lot of time together talking about our time working together over the last five years. He finally admitted to me that he had been in love with me for a long time." continued Mac.

"He, Harmon Rabb Jr., admitted to you that he was in love with you? Will miracles never cease." declared Caitlin unbelieving.

"Well not exactly, he went about it in his usual convoluted typical flyboy way. The following week he went with me to Annapolis. I was giving a talk there. After the talk he gave me the company tour of the place. It's an exceptional campus." Mac continued on.

"Wow! That's incredible." replied Caitlin.

"Then the following week a couple of days before my wedding he takes off to do his Quals. I asked him why he couldn't do them later. Why couldn't he just be there for me?" continued Mac.

"Were you really surprise Sarah that he went to do his quals. After all being an aviator is very important to him. And also consider he was in love with you. Do you really think he would want to see you marry another man?" proposed Caitlin.

"He told he was okay with it as long as I was happy." replied a miffed Mac.

"You really didn't believe that did you Sarah? He wouldn't have let you know he was in love with you if he was happy with you marrying another man. Aren't you the one who said Harm never like anyone you dated? Didn't he say they weren't good enough for you?

And when you confronted him about who would be good enough, the only one was he could come with was himself." argued Caitlin.

"Not really, but I did believe he wanted me to be happy." replied Mac.

"So what happened next?" asked Caitlin.

"When I called him on not caring about me and only about himself, you know what he said?" asked Mac.

"No." replied Caitlin as she shook her head.

"I told her if she needed me to be there at her wedding to Mic then maybe she should reconsider who she was marrying." replied Harm with a smile.

"You didn't?" gasped a surprised Caitlin.

"Yes I did." replied a smug Harm. "And no she wasn't exactly happy that I said that to her."

"I thought he was being his usual arrogant self. I wanted to smack him, but instead I got on the elevator and left." replied Mac.

"Then a couple days later the night before I was to get married, his plane developed serious mechanical problems on the way back to Norfolk and crashed into the ocean. Harm was lost in the ocean for over four hours during one of the worse rain storms of the century.

There was no way I was getting married while he was missing. When Captain Ingles told us he was calling off the search, all I could do was to run out of the room away from everybody as quickly as I could. I was totally devastated.

Mic couldn't understand why. He couldn't understand why I couldn't marry him until Harm was found. I had to make sure Harm was alright." continued Mac almost in tears.

"You never told me that Mac." replied Harm as he put a hand on her shoulder and drew her to him to console her.

"I can understand that. Not only were you worried about Harm, but so was everyone else who would have attended the wedding. They wouldn't have been able to focus on the wedding and enjoy it with you." replied Caitlin.

"He just couldn't understand why I couldn't go ahead with the wedding. He couldn't understand why I needed time to recover." continued Mac solemnly.

"Right. It's only suppose to be the happiest day of your life. You were on an emotional roller coaster. I think it would be quite hard to get excited about getting married after being at an emotional low. So what did he finally do?" asked Caitlin wondering what kind of loser Brumby really was.

"He left because he couldn't deal with my relationship with Harm. He thought that I always put Harm ahead of him." replied Mac.

"That's understandable Mac. It's one of the reasons I left last year. I knew I probably could get Harm away from Renee if I really wanted to, but I also knew I didn't have a chance of having Harm because he was in love with you.

Remember when I asked you if you were marrying the person you wanted. I could tell you were in love with Harm. And I only knew you less then a week." responded Caitlin.

"But we have never done or said anything to make people believe that. We have always been good friends. We love working together." argued Mac not completely understanding, though there had been many people who had suggested otherwise.

"It's how you two are when you're together Sarah. It's how you look at each other, your eyes sparkle and come alive when you talk to the other. It's how you two always are looking for the other when you walk into a room or when you know they are around even though you are talking to someone else." continued Caitlin.

"Were we really that obvious?" asked Mac.

"Yes you were. So anything else interesting happen while I was gone?" asked Caitlin.

"Renee's father died. Then she married the mortician. Mac ran away to sea on the Guadalcanal. She was in Indonesia when the embassy was over run. She got everyone out safely and earned the Meritorious Service Medal in the process." replied Harm.

"That was you Sarah. I heard about that. That definitely was outstanding work Sarah." exclaimed Caitlin as she shook her head.

"Thank you Kate." replied Mac.

"But six weeks ago was the worse week of our life." started Mac.

"What happen?" asked Caitlin.

"We had spent the week looking for Kabir in Afghanistan. He had somehow arranged to obtain a dirty nuclear weapon. He had also arranged to buy an old Russian Submarine." continued Mac.

"I heard something about that, but I hadn't heard all the details." commented Caitlin.

"While we were looking for Kabir, Harm landed in a mine field, we were shot at, and we were exposed to radiation that had killed several people." continued Mac.

"Wow! That is amazing." replied Caitlin.

"But that's not the end of it. When we got back to the carrier the Captain was looking to send two pilots out to shoot down the missile. He was looking for the two best pilots to fly the mission." continued Mac.

"I don't suppose Harm was one of them was he?" asked Caitlin with a smile.

"Yep, I was. I still hold the world record for shooting down missiles." crowed a proud Harm.

"But he didn't shoot down the missile. He decided to play cowboy and get in front of the missile. He let it lock on him and then led it away from the ship where it fell Harmlessly into the ocean." chuckled Mac.

"Wow! You're truly amazing Harm. Always have to put on a show." laughed Caitlin.

"Hey, when you got it, flaunt it, I always say." laughed Harm.

"But the worst day of our lives happen a couple days later." wailed Mac.

"Why? Something else happen?" asked Caitlin.

"Unfortunately yes, Bud Roberts step on a land mine and was killed." replied Mac sullenly.

"Oh no! That's terrible. How's Harriet doing?" asked a shock but concerned Caitlin. She had always thought Bud was a strange sort of man, but she did like him.

"She took it very hard. She had a lot of support here, but she finally decided to resign her commission and moved back to Florida to be near her parents." replied Mac solemnly.

"So what now, are you two finally seeing each other?" asked Caitlin curiously.

"It's taken awhile, but yes. We've been seeing each other since before Christmas. Mac had to deal with breaking up with Mic. I had to break up with Renee. And I ... " responded Harm before Mac interrupted him with

"He had to learn to put me first before everyone and everything else." finished Mac.

"That's great news!" exclaimed Caitlin.

"Kate, we would appreciate it if you didn't say anything to anyone else. We are keeping it quiet for now. We want to enjoy our relationship without interference from anyone else." pleaded Harm.

"We're only telling you because you are a good friend to both of us and we love you." added Mac.

"Thank you Harm, Sarah. I consider both of you two of my dearest friends. Thanks for sharing with me your good news. I'm so happy for both of you." replied Caitlin happily.


	7. Chapter 7

Title:

**_New Trials and Tribulations_**

Author:

_rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoilers: season seven

Disclaimers: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

_Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts._

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

_part seven_

1600 hours

23 Aug 2002

JAG Headquarter

The Admiral was sitting in his office. He had been thinking about it for the past week. He had finally made up his mind. He picked up the phone.

"Tiner, get Commander Rabb and Colonel MacKenzie in here."

"Yes Sir." replied Tiner as he quickly got up and went to Commander Rabb's office. He saw the Colonel was in there with the Commander. He knocked on the door and entered when directed.

"Sir, Ma'am, the Admiral wants to see you both in his office." Tiner said relaying the order.

"Thank you Tiner, we'll be right there." replied Harm.

As they walked across the bullpen area to the Admiral's office Mac turned and asked Harm "Do you know what he wants? It's a little late in the day for him to want to see us."

"No. I don't. I do know he has been pretty tired lately." replied Harm as they arrived at the Admiral's office.

"I talked to him last week. He was telling me that one of his dreams when he was younger was to play professional baseball. Since that wasn't going to happen now, he was thinking about coaching at some level." continued Harm. He knocked on the door and they entered when directed to.

"Have a seat Commander, Colonel. I have two pieces of information for the two of you. First piece of news is the Commander is on the promotion list for Captain. If he keeps his nose clean and out of trouble his promotion should come within six months. Congratulations Commander." The Admiral got up and shook his hand before sitting down again.

"Congratulations Harm." agreed Mac. She wanted to kiss him at that moment, but instead settled for shaking his hand.

"Thank you Sir, Mac. It was totally unexpected." replied a surprised Harm.

"Well with all the exceptional accomplishments you have been piling up over the last two years, it bump you up the promotion list pretty fast. Colonel, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait a little longer. You need more time in service to qualify. But your record is equally as impressive as the Commander." continued the Admiral.

"Thank you Sir. I know it's not time for me to get promoted again. I've been well ahead of the curve for many years. I have nothing to complain about." responded Mac.

"That brings me to the second piece of information I have, I'm retiring as JAG effectively at the end of the month. The Commander will be in charge until a replacement is sent." finished the Admiral.

Harm and Mac were shocked. They hadn't been expecting this piece of news.

"Why Sir?" asked Mac.

"Why am I retiring or why have I left Harm in charge?" asked an amused Admiral.

"Why are you retiring Sir?" asked a sullen Mac.

"It's time Colonel. I'm tired. I've been here for seven years. It's time for someone else to deal with all the headaches associated with this job." replied the Admiral.

"It's been an honor and privilege serving under your command Sir. We're going to miss you Sir." responded Harm.

"Do you know who's going to take your place Sir?" asked Mac.

"No, but the temporary JAG will probably come out of Europe." replied the Admiral.

"That will give them time to interview the other fleet JAG's in Europe, the Pacific, and the west coast."

"Well good luck Sir." responded Harm and Mac at the same time.

2000 hours

30 Aug 2002

McMurphy's Bar

The JAG staff, both officers and enlisted, got together once last time to say goodbye to the Admiral. Turner had arranged for a cake and buffet to be served.

They bought a book about the great sea battles from the time of the Spanish Amada to present day for the Admiral. Everyone signed the book inside the cover along with their best wishes.

The Admiral got up to say a few words after receiving his gift.

"I want to thank all of you for coming tonight. It's been an honor to be your Commanding Officer for the last seven years. I'm going to miss all of you, but I'm not going to miss the headaches that came along with this job.

Some of you may wonder what I'm going to be doing next. I'm going to spend the next few months with my daughter in Italy. After that I'm going to take a position at the Naval Academy at Annapolis.

I will be doing some teaching and I'm going to be the Baseball coach. And now I'm going to say good night and head home. Thank you." finished the Admiral as everyone came up and shook his hand.

1700 hours

13 Sep 2002

JAG Headquarters

It had been a rough couple of weeks since the Admiral left JAG. They were already short handed before Lieutenant Singer left. Having Commander Pike on board again had helped out a lot, but now they were short handed again with Harm as the acting JAG.

The past week he had been in contact with all the other JAG headquarters in the United States and throughout the world. He had managed to get two JAG officers to come back to DC.

The first officer was Commander Carolyn Imes. The second officer wouldn't be available for another couple of months. He had also heard from the SecNav that the new temporary JAG would be arriving next week.

Even though he like the title of being the JAG, he wasn't particularly happy with all the paperwork it entailed. He was going to be so happy going back to his regular duties.

Harm looked up when he heard a knock at the door. He smiled when he saw Mac standing there with her cover and purse in hand.

"What can I do for you Marine?" smile Harm.

"I was looking for a good looking sailor to take me home. I looked outside in the bullpen area, but I didn't see one. So I came in here." teased Mac.

"Are you about ready to leave flyboy?"

"In a couple of minutes. I have to finish this report. The new temporary JAG is arriving next week. I want to have everything finish and in order." replied Harm.

"Any luck finding any new lawyers?" asked Mac.

"Yes, I found two. One is Carolyn. She'll be back here by the end of next week. She was pretty happy about coming back. She loves Europe, but too much of a good thing can spoil you. The other lawyer won't be available for two months." replied Harm.

"What it the lawyer's name Harm?" asked Mac.

"Can't tell you her name yet. It would ruin the surprise." smiled Harm.

"I seem to be noticing a pattern here flyboy. You seem to be bringing in a lot of women." accused Mac with a teasing voice.

"I remember hearing you complaining that there weren't many women around." smiled Harm.

"Thank you Harm, that's very considerate of you, but I have you now. You are the only one I need." smiled Mac.

With Mac getting the final word they headed out of the office. They were going home to change first. Then Harm was going to take her out to dinner and dancing. They had become much closer after buying Harriet's house and moving in together. Mac was living her dream and was very happy.

1300 hours

23 Sep 2002

JAG Headquarters

A week later the new acting JAG was arriving that afternoon. Harm and Mac had gone to an early lunch to ensure that they would be back in time for when the new acting JAG arrived. They were sitting in the JAG's office (old Admiral's office) talking when there was a knock on the door.

Harm yell out "Enter!"

When the door opened an old acquaintance walked in. Harm and Mac stood up. Harm was quite surprise to see that the new acting JAG was Captain Allison Krennick, his old nemesis.

"Welcome aboard Ma'am." bellowed Harm.

"At ease Commander, Colonel." replied Allison as she walked in. She looked at Mac and was puzzled. She though she had seen Mac somewhere before but didn't remember where.

"Have we met before Colonel?" asked Allison.

"No Ma'am." replied Mac.

"Captain Allison Krennick, I would like you to meet Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie. She's my partner and the chief of staff." introduced Harm.

"Good afternoon Colonel. You both can call me Allison. Never did like being called Ma'am by anyone my age." replied Allison smiling.

Harm and Mac spent the rest of the afternoon filling in Allison and bringing her up to speed. By the end of the day they were all tired.

Before they left for the day Allison tried to get Harm to take her out for dinner. While Mac looked on Harm diplomatically got himself out of the invitation by telling her he had other plans for the evening.

"You ready for dinner Commander?" asked Allison as though she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Sorry Allison, but my nights are tied up these days. Between working on restoring my corvette and working on my house, I don't have much time for anything else." replied Harm.

"I'm sure you can forget about the house and the car for one night Commander." smiled a persistent Allison.

"Well on those rare occasions I spend them with a very special lady. She doesn't tolerate me straying." replied Harm with a smile. "Maybe we can do lunch sometime."

"Very well Commander." replied a disappointed Allison.

As Harm and Mac walked back to her office Mac could resist commenting on Allison persistence.

"Boy is she persistent. I don't think she knows the meaning of the word no." smiled Mac as she shook her head.

"You think that was bad, that was nothing. I think the only reason she gave up that easily was because you were in the room." replied a tired Harm.

"Let's go home flyboy. All that talk of food has made me hungry." smiled Mac pleasantly.

"That's my little green marine, always hungry." smiled Harm.

"Well you're such a great cook. You need a woman who can appreciate and enjoy good cooking." laughed Mac.


	8. Chapter 8

Title:

**_New Trials and Tribulations_**

Author:

_rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoilers: season seven

Disclaimers: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

_Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts._

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

_part eight_

1000 hours

24 Sep 2002

Harm's Office

The next morning Harm, Mac, and Kate were in Harm's office discussing the arrival of the dragon lady. Mac was quite amused about some of the stories she was hearing. The general theme of them was Allison constantly trying to get Harm into bed.

Harm had to be on top of his game to avoid being put in situations with no escape. Of course a little luck never hurt either.

There was one story of Allison having a weekend getaway planned for Harm and herself. He got out of going with her when he proved a sniper, who had saved the Admiral's life in Viet Nam, was innocent of the charge of attempted murder. The Admiral invited the Gunny and Harm to join him thus thwarting Allison's plans.

"So how come you haven't told me much about Allison, Harm?" asked Mac.

"I have Mac, but she's not someone I like to spend much time thinking about. Remember that rainy night a few years ago when I told you about Diane's death?" replied Harm.

"Yeah, she was involved with the investigation of her death. She actually got in the way." replied Mac.

"She was so into keeping me in my place that she forgot why she was there. She never was a good investigator. She was a good prosecutor because she had a mean streak in her." responded Harm.

"She was a Singer with talent." smiled Kate.

"Did you know her Kate?" asked Mac.

"No, only by reputation and what Meg used to tell me. Meg told me that Allison hit on Harm on a regular basis. Usually a couple of times a week when Harm wasn't away on an investigation." smiled Kate.

"It wasn't quite that bad Kate, but she was like a bloodhound on a scent, once she had the scent she didn't let up until she cornered her prey." laughed Harm.

"So how are you going to stay away from her now Harm?" asked Kate with a smile.

"I planned on keeping my exposure to her to a minimum." laughed Harm.

"And if that doesn't work I'll set my marine on her."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." replied Mac.

"I'm sure she's moved on. After all it's been over six years since the last time she was around here." responded Harm.

"Who's ready for an early lunch?" asked Harm as he tried to move on to another topic.

"Me! Me!" cried out Mac as both Harm and Kate laughed.

1100 hours

6 Oct 2002

JAG Headquarters

conference room

Harm, Mac, and Allison had been working all morning in the conference room going over the JAG budget for the following year. Allison had submitted one a few weeks ago to the SecNav, but it was sent back asking for her to cut ten percent out of it.

They had spent the morning trying to figure out where they could make the cuts. Finally they decided to take a coffee break. Allison needed to ask Mac a question that had bothering her since she had returned to JAG. She kept having a feeling of Deja vu about Mac.

"May I ask you something Mac. I have this feeling that we've met before, but I can't seem to figure out where or when it was." asked Allison

"We've never met before Allison, although I've been told by a few people who have worked here that I do resemble someone from Harm's past." replied Mac with a teasing look towards Harm.

"I'm still at a lost." replied Allison as she shook her head in confusion.

"She looks like Diane, my old girlfriend from the Naval Academy." replied Harm.

"You remember her don't you Captain." implied Harm as his tone grew angry.

"She was the one I was going away with six years ago to talk about our future. And you had a tizzy fit because I was pining away over her instead of paying attention to your hormonal needs." replied Harm a little more angrily.

"Yes, I remember now. Your conduct during the investigation wasn't exactly proper either Commander. As I remember you were too emotionally involved, you punched out a junior officer, and you pissed off the NCIS agent in charge.

You were lucky I didn't report you to the Admiral like I told you I was going to do." smirked Allison.

"You didn't because it suited you not too. Just like you didn't scuttle Commander Hobart's career because you were guilty of the same infractions that the Commander was." replied Harm.

"Enough you two. That happen over six years ago. You both have moved on to have excellent careers. Let's let the past stay in the past. We all should be mature enough to work together now." ordered Mac.

"Shake hands and let's be friends." smiled Mac. Harm reached out to shake Allison's hand.

"Friends." offered Harm.

"Friends." agreed Allison as she shook his hand.

"By the way Allison we did finally figured out who killed Diane." offered Harm.

"Who Harm?" asked Allison.

"It was Commander Hobart." replied Harm.

"Actually I told Mac the story one night. She figured it out in less then two hours what we couldn't do over a week." continued Harm.

"How was that possible?" asked Allison.

"She didn't have any agenda. Like you said I was too emotional, you were trying to impress the Admiral, and Meg was trying to stay out of the middle. No one was looking at all the facts or seeing what the real problem was." replied Harm.

"And what were we missing?" asked Allison.

"That Diane was being sexually harass and had reported it to her commanding officer." replied Harm.

"And Commander Hobart didn't report it, so he had the most to lose when they docked. He kill her?" Allison replied.

"Yes." replied Harm.


	9. Chapter 9

Title:

**_New Trials and Tribulations_**

Author:

_rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoilers: season seven

Disclaimers: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

_Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts._

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

_part nine_

0900 hours

11 Nov 2002

JAG Headquarter

A couple months later the new JAG lawyer finally reported to JAG. It was Lieutenant Commander Meg Austin. Harm had arranged to bring Meg back to JAG a couple months ago when he was the acting JAG .

She had been quite surprised to be returning to Washington. She had worked in Europe for the first four years after she had left Washington. The last three years she spent in Hawaii.

She had assumed that she would be staying there for a few more years, but when Harm had called, asking her if she wanted to come back to Washington, she decided it would be good to come back home and be with her friends again.

Harm had told her during their conversation that Carolyn and Kate were back in Washington. His old academy friend, Sturgis Turner, was also at JAG along with his partner of six years, Sarah MacKenzie.

They had an excellent group of people working there now. Some of the best lawyers in the navy. She was looking forward to seeing Kate and Carolyn again along with Harm.

As Meg drove up to the building she was filled with nostalgia. It was here at JAG when she was partnered with Harm and that she had had some of the greatest adventures of her life.

Life had been fulfilling since she had left, but it had been a lot more serene. She went into the building and up to the bullpen. Kate was the fist person she recognized as she walked in. She walked over to Kate and gave her a hug.

"Kate, it's so nice to see you again. I've missed you." Meg said as she greeted Kate.

"It's nice to see you too Meg. What are you doing here?" asked Caitlin in amazement.

"Harm called me up a few months ago. Said he needed some replacements for all the lawyers that have left over the past year. I guess he was the acting JAG at the time. When he told me you were going to be here. I had to say yes Sir." smiled Meg happily.

"Well I'm glad you decided to come here, but after you find out who's the acting JAG is, you might want to change your mind." responded Caitlin.

"Why, who's the new JAG?" asked Meg.

"Captain Allison Kennick, the dragon lady." replied Caitlin smugly.

"She's not that bad. Her only problem when I was here last was she had the hots for Harm. Harm was more then able to keep her in her place." smiled Meg.

"I hope you're right. She's been too busy learning the ropes and getting caught up to give any of us any trouble so far." smiled Kate.

"So is Harm around?" asked Meg curiously. She wondered if he was still available.

"Yeah, he's in his office with his partner Mac." replied Caitlin coyly as she tried to gauge why Meg wanted to know.

She thought telling Meg that Harm's partner was name Mac, might give her the false impression that Mac was a man and not a woman. She knew that at one time Meg was in love with Harm. It was why Meg had left Washington almost seven years ago.

"Let's go see him Kate. I want to let him know I'm here and thank him for arranging for me to come back here and to all my friends." responded an excited Meg.

They walked over to Harm's office and knocked on the door before entering.

"What's up Kate? You need me for anything?" asked Harm.

"No Sir, I don't need anything. I just drop by to let you know you have a visitor." smiled Caitlin as she pulled Meg into the office.

"Meg!" exclaimed Harm as he got up and went over to her to give her a hug.

"It's nice to finally have you here. Come in and sit down." urged Harm.

"It's nice to be here too Harm. I've miss being here in Washington." replied Meg smiling as she took a seat.

"Meg, I would like you to meet Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie. Most people around here call her Mac." smiled Harm as he had all his women here now. Or as Kate had mention twenty one months ago, his harem.

Meg's euphoria deflated a little when she realized that Mac was a woman. As Meg was about to say hello, she look at Mac. She was shock to say the least.

"You're ... dead." stuttered a shocked Meg. Mac looked a little confuse.

"No, I don't think so." replied Mac looking to Harm for an explanation.

Then it began to dawned on Harm why Meg thought Mac was dead. Their last case together was Diane's death.

"Mac, Meg was my partner when we investigated Diane's death." started Harm.

"Okay, that explains a lot." replied Mac.

"I know Sturgis was quite surprised the first time he saw me. He even mentioned it to you." continued Mac.

"Well I was pleasantly surprised too when I first saw you." smiled Harm.

"Yeah, and that was the one and only time the great Harmon Rabb Jr. was ever speechless. We haven't had peace and quiet ever since." teased Mac as the Kate and Meg joined in with Mac's giggling.

The bantering between Harm and Mac allowed Meg to relax and regained her composure. It seemed like they had something special going on.

"I'm sorry for my behavior Colonel. It was truly unprofessional of me." begged Meg.

"Please Meg, call me Mac. You're among friends here. From what Harm has told me about Diane's death, I'm not surprise you were shook up."

"Thank you Mac. The last month I was here at JAG wasn't exactly the best month of my life. I had been shot in the head by an assassin and later after I recover I saw Diane's dead body. I left here after that case because I was tire of seeing and dealing with death." responded Meg.

"That's understandable Meg. Working with Harm is an adventure. I can't tell you how many times I have face death working with him." smiled Mac.

"But I have always taken care of you Mac." smiled Harm.

"We'll have to get together some evening and tell war stories about our experience with working with Harm." laughed Caitlin.

"There wouldn't be enough time Kate. We would need at least the weekend." giggled Meg.

"Try a month. You forget I've worked with him for six years. And according to Harm, Harm and I have been on at least a hundred more adventures then both of you combine." smiled Mac happily.

Harm was right. Having Kate and Meg here at JAG was going to be fun. She had been in the marines for a lot of years. Most of her friends have been men. She didn't have too many women friends.

When Harriet had left she didn't have any left. But Harm had started making things better for her. He had brought back Carolyn and Kate. Now Meg was here. She hadn't had that many women friends since high school. No wonder why she loved her flyboy. He was always trying to make her life better.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Harmon Rabb and his harem." a voice came from the entrance of Harm's office. It was Allison's.

"Don't tell me you're jealous Allison." smiled Harm as he looked at the ladies around the room.

"No. I just wondered where everyone was since no one was scheduled for court today." replied Allison.

"Meg was just getting reacquainted with everyone and meeting Mac." replied Harm.

"Well when you get a moment Lieutenant Commander, I would like to see you in my office." responded Allison as she then walked out of the office.

Later that day Harm and Mac went around to their friends. They wanted to invite them over for Thanksgiving dinner this year since Bud and Harriet were no longer available to host a party themselves.

1500 hours

28 Nov 2002

Thanksgiving

at Harm and Mac's house

Over the last several years the JAG crew would go to the Roberts house for Thanksgiving dinner. But with Bud dead and Harriet back home with her parents in Florida someone else would have to play host if the tradition was going to continue.

This year that honor fell onto Harm and Mac. Though they were not officially a couple at JAG they had been living together for some time now. How were they going to explain hosting a party here together at the Roberts residence?

As in past years everyone was required to bring something along with them to help alleviate the awesome task of shopping and cooking for over twenty people. Mainly they would bring snacks, drinks, and desserts.

Harm and Mac were going to cook the main meal; turkey, mash potatoes, butternut squash, turnips, pearl onions, peas, and stuffing. Harm and Mac had gotten up early in the morning to get everything ready. It wasn't too long before they had more food on themselves then in the pots.

Sergei and Turner came over to Harm and Mac's around noontime. They wanted to help Harm and Mac get set up and ready to go. Turner even brought over a serving set of eight to insure that they had enough place setting to accommodate everyone.

"Wow!" crowed Sturgis when Harm let him into the house and showed him around.

"I had heard that this house was impressive, but I think you have out done yourself, Harm." Sturgis commented as he shook his head in amazement.

"Yeah, it's a great house. Harriet sold it to Mac and me when she left for Florida." replied Harm.

"This is Mac and your house. You never told me about this Harm. You mean to tell me that you two are living together?" asked a stunned Sturgis.

"Yeah I would say so, it's been about five months now. And we would like you to say nothing about it too." replied Harm amused at his friend confusion.

Harm then showed him and Sergei where to set up the extra chairs and tables in the formal dining room. Sturgis and Sergei also help arranged the furniture in the entertainment room to accommodate the twenty plus people who were attending the dinner.

At 1330 hours Turner left to pick up Bobbie. Sergei left to go to the airport to pick up Chloe and her grandmother. They were going to spend the long weekend with Harm and Mac.

When Mac had called Chloe early in the month to invite her to visit during her Thanksgiving vacation, she told Chloe that Harm and she had bought a house together. Chloe had been so excited that she scream excitedly at first, then asked if she would have her own room.

Of course Mac had told her, they had a four bedroom house. This got Chloe to thinking. She wondered whether or not that meant a little MacKenzie/Rabb might be on the way.

All Mac could do was shake her head in wonderment. She couldn't believe some of the things that Chloe thought about and the ideas that she came up with. Though she did like the idea of having a little one, now wasn't the time.

Maybe this time next year it might be a possibility. As much as she had dreamt about becoming Mrs. Rabb, every year she began to realized it was becoming more and more a remote possibility.

So when Harm agreed to buy the house with her, to say she was a little shock was an understatement. Just maybe they might have that future together after all. They could get married and have the family that she had always dreamt of.

At about 1500 hours their guess began to arrive. Tiner and Gunny with their dates were the first ones to arrive. They were amazed with the house. Over the next half hour everyone else had arrived.

The men all went outside to the back yard. The women managed to get together in the entertainment room. Everyone enjoyed eating appetizers and drinking their favorite beverage. After an hour everyone moved inside.

Even though it had been a mild November, there was still a bit cold to be just standing around. When everyone had a drink. AJ asked for everyone's attention.

"I would like to thank the Harm and Mac for having all of us over this year for Thanksgiving dinner this year. I would like to also ask for a moment of silence to remember our fallen comrade Bud Roberts.

He was a fine officer, a good husband, and a good father. He is sorely miss, but he will always be remembered." spoke AJ.

Tiner was next up.

"I would like to thank the Admiral for getting me a promotion before he retired. He wasn't bad to work for once I got him broken in." Everyone chuckled at that comment.

"I'm also happy to have my buddy Gunny back. Especially with trying to break in a new CO."

Turner was next up.

"I would like to thank the Admiral for bringing me here to JAG. It has been great to be reacquainted with my buddy Harm. I would also like to thank him for telling me to get a life outside work. I now have a great relationship with a wonderful woman."

Bobbie was next.

"I'm thankful for having Sturgis in my life. For the first time in many years I can be myself, I don't need to put on a facade when I'm with him, I don't have to worry about what is expected of me. Thanks Sturgis."

Kate, Carolyn, and Meg were thankful for being back in DC with their friends.

Gunny was thankful for returning safely after spending a year in Afghanistan. He wasn't as thankful as Jason. He thought Jason would be off to officer school by now.

Chloe was thankful for living with her grandmother and having her father in her life, but most of all for having a wonderful big sister who always made her feel wanted and welcome. She also hope that Harm and Mac would hurry up and get married so they could have a kid so she could be an Aunt.

Finally it came to Harm and Mac. Harm went first.

"First I'm grateful for surviving my crash last year and spending the night in the freezing stormy ocean. I have Mac to thank for having the vision to find me.

Second, I'm thankful that she didn't marry Bugme, I don't know what I would have done if she had gone through with the wedding.

Third, I'm thankful that Mac wasn't hurt and came back to JAG safely when the American Embassy was over run in Indonesia.

Fourth, I'm thankful for all the times that I've faced life threatening conflicts like landing in a minefield and having a missile chasing me, and survived. And finally I thankful for having Sarah MacKenzie in my life.

Mac was slightly embarrass, but was glowing from Harm's speech. Harm always seemed to know what to say at the right time. She had to think for a minute to see how she could better Harm.

"I'm thankful that Harm kissed me and told me how he really felt that night on the Admiral's porch."

There was suddenly a lot of murmuring from everyone. The ones who had been there had always wondered what had happen that night between them. Harm and Mac had seem to spend a lot of time together alone and away from everyone. Now they knew why.

"I'm also glad I was able to help find Harm that night when he was lost at sea. I think I would have died inside if he had died that night.

I must also thank Mic for leaving when he did. He could see that I didn't love him enough to marry him. He knew I belonged with Harm.

I'm also thankful that Harm and I survived our experiences in Afghanistan. We faced death many times during the month we were there. I'm thankful for having such a great partner who goes the extra yard to make sure that I'm safe even though I keep telling him I can take care of myself."

That brought a few chuckles from everyone.

"Finally I'm grateful for having Harm in my life. The last couple of years when we were seeing other people, we had grown apart. The quality of my life went down as we lost the closeness we had shared together during the first few years we worked together."

It was time for dinner. Harm went into the kitchen and carved the turkey while Mac enlisted the aide of Tiner and Gunny to help bring in all the vegetables to the dining room serving area.

Everyone lined up and gathered what they wanted to eat. When everyone was seated with their food AJ was asked by Mac to give grace for the food and being with friends. After grace was given everyone dug in and ate a wonderful dinner. Some even went and got seconds.

There was a lot of whispering going on about Harm and Mac. Their giving thanks speeches implied that something more had to be going on between the two of them.

They also wondered about the house and the living arrangements. Were they renting this house for Thanksgiving or were they living here together? Where was Harriet, she would know? She would be able to fill them in on the on going saga of Harm and Mac, will they or won't they.

After dinner the men went to the game room to drink beer and play pool. The women spent time together talking about the men in their lives and trading secrets.

After a short time later it was time for dessert. Everyone gathered again in the dining room where all the desserts were laid out. There was a selection of six types of pies and also there were cream puffs and brownies. Everyone helped themselves to what they wanted.

This time it was Sturgis's turn to lead a small prayer for family and friends who weren't there to celebrate with them.


	10. Chapter 10

Title:

**_New Trials and Tribulations_**

Author:

_rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoilers: season seven

Disclaimers: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

_Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts._

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

_part ten Allison makes plans _

1500 hours

15 Dec 2002

JAG Headquarters

Captain Allison Krennick had been away during the Thanksgiving holiday. She hadn't gone to Harm and Mac's house for turkey dinner. So she wasn't aware of how close Harm and Mac had become.

Now that she was the person in charge and in control, there was no way Harmon Rabb could avoid spending the Christmas holidays with her or so she thought. She had just gotten off the phone with a ski resort in Vermont.

Seven days of skiing by day and seven nights cuddling in front of a roaring fire. Everything was looking good or so she thought. She knew this would probably be the last chance that she could be with him.

After all she was a beautiful and intelligent woman, why shouldn't she have the opportunity to be with the man of her dreams even if it was only for a short while.

Meanwhile in Harm's office he and Mac were busy talking about their plans for the holidays. Harm wanted to spend it at his grandmother's farm in Pennsylvania. Mac wanted to spend some time with Chloe in Vermont.

Christmas time for Mac had become a time for being with young people like Chloe who truly got into the spirit of Christmas and enjoyed it to the hilt.

Last year had been very special. Chloe had spent the week with Harm and her as they had moved their relationship along. They had become a couple. In fact they had been together as a couple for almost a year.

"But Harm, I want to spend some time with Chloe. You know how much I love her." wailed Mac. She was going to win this argument.

"Okay, okay Mac. What do you say to we leave a few days before Christmas and stop at my grandmother's farm. We spend a couple of days there before leaving for Vermont and Chloe's grandmother's farm?" replied Harm hoping to make peace with her.

"Sounds like a plan flyboy. Maybe your grandmother wouldn't mind going with us. That way she will get to know me better and also get to know our surrogate daughter." laughed Mac.

"I'll call her tonight and ask her." replied Harm shaking his head.

1100 hours

16 Dec 2002

JAG Headquarters

Mac knocked on Harm's office door. She had just returned from Allison's office. She had gotten permission to take two weeks of leave. She had told Allison she was going to visit her little sister in Vermont. She went in and sat down in one the chairs.

"Well I'm all set. I put in for two weeks of leave and got it." started Mac.

"She didn't give you any grief." asked Harm.

"Nope. She knows better than to mess with a marine." replied Mac with a smile.

"Well I got all of our arrangements made, including a nice bed and breakfast for our return trip home." smile Harm.

"I turned in your leave request. I don't know what she's going to do. She said something to the effect that someone will have to stay around to handle any emergencies that might come up." continued Mac.

"I've got that covered. I talked to Sturgis and Meg. They aren't taking leave this year. Sturgis doesn't like to go anywhere this time of year. He's kind of an old dog, and Meg feels that being the new kid in town, she should give everyone else the opportunity of taking leave first." smile Harm.

Harm went into Allison's office to see if his leave was approve. His leave had been approved. He was surprise when Allison told him of her plans.

"What can I do for you Commander?" asked Allison.

"I'm here to see if you have approved my request for leave." replied Harm.

"Yes I have Commander. In fact I'm taking some leave at this time too. I have arranged for a little get away to a Vermont Ski lodge. It would be a good time for us to get to know each other better." Allison responded with a seductive smile.

"I'm sorry Allison, but I've already made plans. I'm spending Christmas with my family at my grandmother's farm. I wished you had said something earlier, but I can't change my plans at such a late date. Maybe next time." replied Harm hoping Allison wouldn't fight him on this.

Allison curse under her breath to herself. What should she do now? She really wanted to spend time with Harm, but she couldn't tell him he couldn't spend time with his family. After all that's why they give us thirty days of leave a year so we can spend quality time with them. Maybe she could finagle an invite.

"I understand Harm. Family is very important. Maybe I could go with you?" asked Allison hopefully.

Harm shuddered for a moment. He had to think fast on his feet about this. No way did he want to spend any time with her personally and Mac would kill him or at the very least make his life miserable.

"I'm sorry Allison, but we haven't had a real family Christmas get together in a lot years. My parents want to keep the affair small and private." replied Harm.

"But what's one more Harm. I would really like to meet your family." cooed Allison softly. Yeah right thought Harm to himself.

"I'm sorry Allison, but as I said before, my parents have already made their plans. It's too late to change them now." replied Harm.

Allison knew she had lost. No sense making a major issue of it now. She would plan something for later.

"Okay Harm, have a merry Christmas with your family. Maybe we can get together after the holidays." sighed Allison

An hour later Mac returned to Harm's office. She wanted to know whether or not Harm got leave. She knocked on the door and walked in. Turner was in there with him. She took the other chair.

"So flyboy what's the story, did you get leave?" asked Mac.

"Yes I did. I was just telling Sturgis here of my ghastly experience with the dragon lady." smiled Harm.

"What did you do now Harm?" asked Mac.

"I didn't do anything Mac. It's what she wanted to do." replied Harm as he shook his head.

"What did she want you to do?" asked Mac who was quickly getting annoyed.

"She wanted me to go to Vermont with her on a skiing vacation. When I told her I had plans with my family, she wanted to horn in on them." replied Harm as he shook his head again.

"I couldn't believe it when Harm told me. What's wrong with that woman? Doesn't she know it could ruin her career?" asked a shocked Turner.

"She's always been that way. She use to try to bed me when she was working here seven years ago. Fortunately for me back then Meg always seemed to be in the way. I always managed to avoid her. I think it's her way of trying to maintain control over men." responded Harm.

"Well she's an important person now. She needs to grow up and get past her childless infatuation with you." replied Mac a little peeved.

"It's best to just ignore her Mac. She's only going to be here for a few more months and then she'll be gone. I've found out that ignoring her riles her up more then any confrontation ever did." responded Harm hoping to diffuse the situation before Mac decided to go in and kick a certain Navy Captain's six all the way to Quantico.

All Sturgis could do was laugh as he spat out his coffee.

"Okay Harm." replied Mac, but it definitely wasn't the end of it for her. She would teach Allison a lesson one way or another.

1400 hours

20 Dec 2002

JAG Headquarters

Mac had been fuming all week. She still was upset that Allison would try to manipulate her flyboy into going away with her. Of all the nerve, it was no wonder she was known as the dragon lady and was all alone.

The woman needed to learn how deal with people without trying to intimidate them. She needed to have a talk with the dragon lady. Mac got up and walk over to Allison's office and knock on the door. She entered when directed to.

"May I have a word with you Captain?" asked Mac.

Allison wondered what was going on. Mac usually referred to her as Allison. Something must be up.

"Sure Mac. How may I help you?" returned Allison.

"I heard some disturbing news earlier in the week that has upset me quite a bit." continued Mac.

Allison was taken back a little, she was quite surprised. She hadn't heard any rumors or bad news.

"What did you hear that has you upset?" asked Allison.

"I heard about your attempt to lure Harm away for the holidays. It was totally unprofessional of you Ma'am. You are our leader. You're suppose to lead by example. You have a wonderful opportunity here being the JAG.

It can only help your career soar. You are a role model for every women in the military. And you risk throwing it all away for a romp in the hay with someone who doesn't want you. I know how hard it is for women in the military, how hard it is to be accepted as leader.

Why are you doing this Allison?" asked Mac hoping she had driven home her point. She liked Allison and wanted to be her friend, but she didn't like the idea of her sexually harassing her flyboy.

"I've always like Harm. It's part of a little game we play. I'm the one in power. I like to make him squirm. I like to see how far I can push him." replied Allison with a sense of satisfaction.

She had never really thought about it before, but she realized men had been doing it to women for years. Why shouldn't a woman do it to a man? And Harm represented what a man really was, totally self absorbed and better then any woman. Why else wasn't he married at forty years of age?

"I think I understand where you're coming from Allison, but you're better than that. I know how it feels to want to be love by Harm, but it isn't going to happen. He doesn't believe in dating anyone he works with.

I've watched him over the last six years dating his blond bimbo floozies. He's not interested in long term relationships. You're in a high profile job now. You have to watch everything you're doing.

Every little thing you do will be observed and magnified. And if you get caught fraternizing with someone below you in your command ... well ... you'll see how quick they will hang your six out to dry.

You'll also kill any chances for other women to move up into positions of authority. I ask you Allison to stop this silly game you're playing with Harm before it bites you and you find yourself on the outside looking in." finished Mac hoping she had made her point.

"You're right Mac, I have come a long way in this man's Navy. It hasn't been easy as you are well aware being a woman yourself. Most of the Senior Officers are patronizing at best.

They really don't believe that women should be in the service never mind being in positions of authority. If I want this job permanently some day I will have to watch what I do.

Thank you Mac for getting me to realized that I'm better than that. That I am a professional with professional responsibilities." replied Allison.

"Have a merry Christmas and Happy New Year Allison." offered Mac.

"You too Mac. By the way you never did tell me what you're doing for the holidays." responded Allison.

"No, I didn't, but if things work out the way I hope they will, you will be the first one I tell when I come back." replied Mac hopefully.


	11. Chapter 11

Title:

**_New Trials and Tribulations_**

Author:

_rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoilers: season seven

Disclaimers: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

_Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts._

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

_part eleven Trip to Grandma's farm_

21 Dec 2002

Harm and Mac wanted to get on the road early to his grandmother's farm. It was going to be a longer trip then normal. It had snowed the night before which meant getting out of the DC area was going to take more time than normal.

It truly was amazing that even though it snowed a few times every year, everyone seemed to forget how to drive in it. Also the forecast for tonight was for more snow in Pennsylvania, maybe up to a foot or more.

After driving for three hours Mac was beginning to get hungry. She wanted to stop and get something to eat. Even though he wasn't hungry Harm felt the need to stretched his long legs and get some more coffee.

They pulled into a Wendy and went inside. Mac got herself a double hamburger sandwich with super fries. Harm settled for a chicken sandwich and baked potato.

"How much longer is the trip Harm?" asked Mac.

"It shouldn't take more then three or four hours now that we are out of the city. It will depend upon how much snow we hit. It's highway driving most of the way. The last ten miles though are on narrow back roads leading out to the country." replied Harm.

"It's going to be nice to finally meet your grandmother. I know how much you love her." commented Mac happily.

"She's been looking forward to meeting you too Sarah. I've told her so much about you, that she feels like she already knows you. And since she knew Diane, she already knows what you look like." smiled Harm affectionately.

"That was a long time ago flyboy. I'm much older then the last time she was up here. Even though we looked alike we still look different." replied Mac.

"Maybe, if you stood side by side one may be able to tell the difference, but viewed separately you really can't tell. But at least she will know what to expect. By the way Mom and Frank decided to come up for the week." informed Harm.

"Boy do you really know how to put pressure on a girl." smiled Mac.

"Hey Mom loves you Mac. She's been after me to make an honest woman of you since I started telling her about you. She thinks you are the best thing that has ever happen to me." replied Harm.

"Thanks Harm. I think she's a wonderful person too." responded Mac blushing.

A few hours later Harm was pulling into the driveway. It was beginning to snow. Harm and Mac got out of the car and retrieved their things from the back.

"It's times like this I'm glad I have this boat." smiled Harm.

"Yeah, as much as I love driving the vette, it's not a good car in snow." replied Mac as they headed up the porch to the front door.

Harm knocked on the door as he went in. He wanted to let his grandmother know that he was here. As he put their bags down by the stairs his grandmother and mother came out from the kitchen. They went up to Harm and Mac to give them a big hug.

Harm then proceeded to introduce Mac to his grandmother. "Grandma, this is Sarah MacKenzie. Sarah, this is my grandmother Sarah Rabb."

"It so nice to finally meet you Sarah. Harm has told me so many wonderful things about you. I was wondering if I was ever going to meet you." greeted his grandmother.

"Thank you Sarah. Harm has told me all about you too. He says you are his guiding light. Hello Trish. How are you doing?" asked Mac.

"I'm doing pretty good. Everyone I love is here." replied Trish with a big smile.

Harm was puzzled not to see Frank in the room. He must be around here somewhere. He usually wasn't far away from his mother when they had guest in the house.

"Where's Frank, Mom?" asked Harm.

"He's outside getting some firewood. He heard that it was going to snow. He wanted to make sure we had enough wood." replied Trish.

"You should have told me Mom, I better go out and help him. He's not as young as he use to be." grinned Harm.

"I'll leave you young ladies to get acquainted." grinned Harm as he put on his coat and went outside to find Frank.

Harm saw Frank loading some wood into his arms. Harm quickly went over to him to help.

"Let me help you Frank." smiled Harm.

"Thanks Harm. It nice to see you. Your mother must be very happy right now. She was worried that you wouldn't get here before it started snowing. Seeing you is her favorite pass time. Did you bring Sarah with you?" asked Frank as he greeted Harm.

"Yes, Mac is here. She's in the house talking to mom and grandma right now. And yes, she was very happy to see her. I don't think I've ever seen mom this happy." smiled Harm.

"Well she misses you and she does want some grandchildren one day while she's still young enough to enjoy them." grinned Frank.

"Yeah, I know. I'm happy that both of you decided to come. I have something planned for Sunday night." smiled Harm.

"Oh! May I ask what it is you have planned?" asked Frank. He had an idea since he had directed the conversation in this direction. He was looking for confirmation.

Harm reached into his pocket to pull out a small box. He opened it to show Frank a beautiful engagement ring.

"I plan on asking Sarah to marry me after dinner Sunday night. I wanted all the important people in my life to be there when I asked her." smiled Harm.

"You're going to make three women very happy Harm." smiled Frank with a tear in his eye.

"No, actually it will be four women. We're going to visit Chloe later this week. I think she will be even more excited then Mom and grandma. Sarah wants to spend Christmas with her. Even though she's Sarah's little sister, Sarah loves her like a daughter." replied Harm.

"That's great Harm." responded Frank.

They spent the rest of the day catching up with each other before a roaring fire. They enjoyed a wonderful dinner as Trish and Grandma Sarah look on as Mac ate a hearty meal.

They were quite surprise to see how much she ate. After all she had a body all women envied, long and lean with a lot of curves. Everyone decided to call it a night early. They were all tired from their long trips.

The next morning they decided to exchange gifts. It was a couple of days early, but with Harm and Mac leaving first thing Tuesday morning they wanted to relax and enjoy opening the gifts. It was a perfect winter day. The ground was cover with freshly fallen snow. Harm had made a few more trips to the wood pile for more firewood.

Trish had prepared a wonderful breakfast leading Mac to comment

"Now I know why Harm is such an excellent cook. It runs in the family."

Later after lunch and making sure there was enough firewood in the house, Harm went out to the barn to hook up a couple of horses to the sleigh. Everyone got in and covered themselves with a couple of blankets.

They spent the next couple of hours on a sleigh ride through the snow. When they got back to the house the women went inside to fix dinner. Harm and Frank took care of the sleigh and horses. Harm was quite surprise to see that Frank knew how to cool down a horse on a cold winter's day.

After a nice turkey dinner everyone went into the living room to have coffee and dessert in front of the fire. There was polite conversation while they ate their dessert.

Mac was pleasantly surprise about the sleigh ride. It was something Mac had never experience before and she was glowing. Even though Trish had been on sleigh rides before, it had been a long time. She thought back nearly forty years ago remembering when Harm senior had asked her to marry him after going on a sleigh ride.

Harm looked around the room. He noticed that everyone had finish eating and were comfortable. He got up and went over to Mac. He pulled a small box out of his pocket and got down on one knee in front of her.

Mac looked at him in total surprise. She then looked around to see if anyone else knew about this, but all she saw was a look of surprise and anticipation from everyone.

Trish lean over to Frank and asked "Did you know about this honey?"

"Yes dear, Harm told me yesterday afternoon while we were getting the firewood. He asked me not to tell anyone." replied Frank.

Harm looked into Mac eyes as he took the ring out of its box. He then placed the ring on her finger as he began to tell her how he felt.

"I love you Sarah MacKenzie. I'm sure you have been wondering whether this day would ever come. Sometimes I wonder about that myself. When I first saw you in the rose garden so many years ago I thought I was being given a second chance for love.

But I knew I couldn't ask you to marry me that day because you didn't know me. And I soon found out I didn't know you either. You had built up so many walls around your heart, but I knew somewhere in there was a very special lady.

I knew it would take time to tear down the walls around your heart before I could earn your trust and love. We've had our ups and downs, our misunderstandings over the years, but we have always managed to be there for each other when we needed the other.

This past year has been very special as we allowed ourselves to be together as a couple learning to love each other unconditionally. I love you Sarah MacKenzie. I want you to become my wife. Will you please marry me Sarah?"

Mac had been sitting there very patiently listening to what Harm had to say. She was so happy and very nervous. She couldn't believe how wonderful it was to hear Harm tell her what she had waited for so long to hear.

Even though she was hoping that Harm would propose to her over the holidays, she hadn't expected it would be today with all his family present. And it had been so much better than she expected.

Harm was very passionate and loving. She didn't think she could love him any more than she loved him at that moment.

"Yes Harm, I'll marry you. You are my life and salvation. I too have loved you since the beginning. You were too good to be true. I couldn't believe that someone as wonderful as you could ever love me.

But all you have ever done is show me how much you do. You have always been there for me helping me deal with my demons. I love you so very much. I would be honored to become your wife."

Harm stood up bringing Mac up with him. He gave her a loving kiss as he took her into his arms. She then rest her head against his chest as they embraced each other for a few minutes more.

They turned around to receive hugs and congratulations from Frank, Trish, and Grandma Sarah. Everyone was so happy. It was the best news they could possibly have received. Christmas was definitely a very special time this year.


	12. Chapter 12

Title:

**_New Trials and Tribulations_**

Author:

_rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoilers: season seven

Disclaimers: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

_Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts._

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

_part twelve Holiday in Vermont_

A couple days later Harm and Mac were ready to leave for Vermont to see Chloe. Harm talked to his Mother and Grandmother about going with them. They decide not to go.

Grandma Sarah decided she didn't want to make such a long trip. She was completely happy that Harm and Mac had come up to visit along with Trish and Frank. That Harm asked Mac to marry him with his family present was the culmination of everything she love.

This Christmas was already the best she ever had. Besides Trish and Frank had agreed to stay with her through the first of the year. She wanted Harm and Mac to enjoy their new found feeling of being a couple in love.

Harm and Mac were on the road early Tuesday morning. It was going to be a long trip, possibility ten hours or more if the weather didn't hold up. It snowed a lot in Vermont this time of year.

They knew they needed to leave early in order to reach up state Vermont at a reasonable hour. They reached the New Jersey border just before noon. They decided to take an early lunch.

"So where do you want to stop for lunch ninja girl?" asked Harm.

"How about grabbing a pizza. We can get a half and half." smiled Mac.

"So how are you doing now that you're taken." prodded Harm.

"I have never been happier Harm. You have made me very happy." beamed Mac happily.

"I'm glad. It is my only true goal in life." replied Harm playfully.

"What time do you think we will get in tonight." asked Mac.

"Depending upon how we get through the city, I would say eight or nine tonight." replied Harm.

"I can't wait. I've missed Chloe so much." continued Mac.

"How do you think she's going to respond when she finds out?" asked Harm with a smile.

"She'll freak out and scream, jump up and down, and then hug me saying Oh My God!" laughed Mac.

Harm and Mac were back on the road soon after they ate. They drove for a few hours before stopping to stretch their legs and refuel. Harm and Mac were amazed at the scenery. They could see the mountains in distance. They were beautiful. The landscape was a winter wonderland which had a fresh coat of snow.

2000 hours

Vermont

It was getting late and Harm and Mac were getting tired. It had been a long day. They had called earlier with their ETA. Chloe was so excited that they would be there soon. Mac was looking at the numbers as Harm drove down the street.

Mac pointed out a house and Harm entered the driveway. Before Harm had even shut off the lights and the engine, Chloe was bounding out the door of the house and tapping on the car windows. Chloe pulled open the door to hug Mac. She was so excited.

"Mac! You're here!" cried Chloe.

"Yes sweetie I'm here. Have you been good?" asked Mac as she hugged her little sister.

"Yes I have. Even my father is here. How is the bodacious one doing?" teased Chloe.

"He's doing just fine. And if you're really good I'll let you know what he gave me for Christmas." smiled Mac teasingly.

"Okay, I will. Let me help Harm get your bags." replied Chloe happily as she bounded to the back of the car.

They went around to the back where Harm was pulling out the bags. When he saw Chloe he leaned down to give her a hug.

"You're not the cute little girl anymore, You've grown into a lovely young lady." whispered Harm in Chloe's ear.

"Thank you Harm, you're the best." replied Chloe happily. Everyone went inside.

Chloe's grandmother warmed up some left over dinner for Harm and Mac to eat. As Mac was eating the light in the room began to reflect off Mac's ring. Chloe saw the beams of light being reflected around the room. She wondered where it was coming from.

She began to look around until she saw Mac's hand. She went over to Mac. She looked a little more closely until she realized what she was seeing.

"Mac! You have a ring on your finger!" cried Chloe.

"Yes sweetie, That's the gift I told you Harm gave me." smiled Mac.

"He asked you to marry him?" asked a shocked Chloe.

"Yes sweetie, he did. And I said yes." replied Mac with a big smile.

"Yahoo!" yelled Chloe as she started dancing around the room.

25 Dec 2002

Harm and Mac spent Christmas day with Chloe. They exchanged their gifts and opened them. Harm and Mac big gift to Chloe was a ski bunny suit and a monthly pass to ski at the local ski resort.

Chloe was very excited. They told her they would take her skiing Friday. Chloe had gotten Harm and Mac, his and her ski sweaters, hoping that they would get the hint.

After the presents were exchanged they all attended Christmas Service followed by an early dinner. Everyone ate their fill. They sang Christmas carols after dinner.

27 Dec 2002

Stow Mountain

Vermont

Two days later Harm, Mac, and Chloe hopped into the car to go skiing at Stow Mountain. They had just received over two feet of snow the past week on top of a six foot base. They were all very excited.

Mac had learned how to ski while she was in Bosnia. Harm had been skiing since he was a kid, first in Pennsylvania and later in the Rockies. Chloe had learned a couple of seasons ago when she went to live with her grandmother.

It was an hour trip so everyone was ready to get going and stretch their legs when they got there. They spent the first couple of hours before lunch skiing the easier trails.

Harm and Mac wanted to get their ski legs back first before trying the harder slopes after lunch. They went inside the ski lodge for lunch. Chloe was still pump with spending the day with Harm and Mac skiing.

Mac was however a little tired. She had forgotten how strenuous skiing could be to your upper thighs. Harm though was still having a good time watching Mac and Chloe interact. He marveled at how easy it was for Mac to relate and have a good time with Chloe. She was going to make a great mother some day.

After lunch they all went out for a few more hours of skiing. Harm and Mac were amazed at how easy it was for Chloe to handle the more difficult slopes just zooming along without any fear.

Harm didn't have too much problems with the slopes either, but he held back a little, after all he was starting to get a little older. It was too easy to hurt yourself if you fell on these difficult slopes.

Mac, the true non-competitor, skied at her own comfort level skiing down the slopes much slower, but staying on her feet. She was happy to see that Harm and Chloe had fun going fast down the slopes together, they were the people she loved most in the world. Harm was going to make a great father some day.

After a hard day of skiing they retired to their rooms to shower and change for dinner. Harm and Mac both wore jeans and the sweater that Chloe gave them. Chloe had on one of the many outfits that Mac had bought Chloe for Christmas.

They went down to the elegant dining room for dinner. They were join by a young teenage boy that Chloe had met on the slopes. Mac and Chloe had the prime rib with spicy Texas fries. Harm deferred to the baked chicken with rice mixed in with three varieties of vegetables.

As they were enjoying their meal with polite conversation, a visitor and her guest came up to their table. It was Allison and a friend.

"My doesn't this make a cozy picture." remarked a jealous Allison first looking at Mac then Harm.

"Hello Allison, how are you doing? Are you enjoying the holidays?" asked Harm hoping to move the conversation on to a safer place.

"Why yes I am Harmon. This is my friend Todd. He's stationed at the Pentagon. How are you doing Sarah? And who is your young friends?" asked Allison a little perturbed.

"This my little sister Chloe. I met her a few years back as part of the Big Sister's program. We've been buddies ever since. And this is Jason, a young man she met skiing today." replied Mac after wiping her mouth with the napkin in her left hand.

This action didn't go unnoticed as Allison noticed the sparkle of light reflecting off the ring on Mac's finger.

A wave of jealousy quickly enveloped Allison. Harm had turned down her invitation to spend the holidays with her skiing to be with Mac, which in her mind was bad enough, but to see an engagement ring now residing on Mac's finger was ... well it was just too much.

She felt a large pain in her heart as she realized now that she would never bed Harm. Her stomach began to become nauseated, but she had to be a professional and do the right thing.

"Is that a ring I see on your finger Sarah?" asked a dishearten Allison choking back the bile.

Mac was a little embarrassed. She was hoping to keep her engagement a secret for a little while. She hadn't realized she had shown off the ring to Allison.

"Yes Allison, Harm asked me to marry him a couple of days ago when we were at his grandmother's house with his parents and grandmother. He's made me the happiest woman in the world." smiled Mac.

"I'm the happiest sister in the world." added Chloe excitedly.

"I have been waiting for Harm to ask Sarah to marry him for four years now." Chloe was bubbling now. Allison could see the happiness on her face.

Recognizing the inevitable, Allison offered her congratulations. She then wish them happy a holiday and she would see them in a few days back at work.

Harm and Mac tried to enjoy the rest of the night, but they both were worried about what was going to happen when they went back to work after the holidays. Would they still be able to work together or would one of them be force to transfer.

Allison meanwhile had excused herself from Todd's attention. She was heartbroken. She went backed to her room and cried herself to sleep wondering why she couldn't have been the one that Harm loved?

29 Dec 2002

A few days later Harm and Mac were once again on the road. They had a fifteen hour ride home, but they didn't mind too much. Mac was very happy. She had spent a lot of quality time with Chloe, something she hadn't been able to do too much of the last few years.

And of course spending time with Harm was always special. He was her soul mate and one true love. And now she was engaged to him. They were going to get married. She was so happy, she was glowing.

Even though she was worried a little about the ramifications of being engaged to Harm, she didn't care. Harm was hers now and she was his. And they still had the New Years Eve Military Ball to attend. Life couldn't be better.

2100 hours

a bed and breakfast

Harm and Mac stop at a small bed and breakfast outside of New York City. It was a long trip and they had left Chloe later then expected. But then again they weren't in a hurried to get home. They wanted to spend some time together alone.

After having a late dinner they retired to their room for some adult night time activities. It wasn't the first time they spent the night together in each other's arms, but it was always very special as their love was allowed to blossom.

Each time it seemed to get better and better as they explored new ways to show their love. And tonight was no exception.

The next morning they were up early. After a quick shower they went for breakfast. It simply amazed both Harm and Mac that some of the best meals they ate were at small out of the way places like this bed and breakfast.

After breakfast they were on the road again. They wanted to get home before the late holiday traffic became overwhelming.

When they finally got back to DC they went to Mac's place. Mac picked up the telephone to make a special call. A call she had been making one a month for the last three and half years since her father died.

"Hello Mom, it's Sarah. I have some great news for you." started Mac.

"Hello sweetie, how are you?" replied her mother.

"I'm doing very well Mom. I spent the holiday with Harm." continued Mac.

"Oh sweetie, that's wonderful. I know how much you love him." her mother cooed softly.

"We went to his grandmother's farm. His mother and stepfather were their too." continued Mac happily.

"He took you home to meet the family. Can I guess your Rose Garden Dream finally came true Sarah?" asked her mother excitedly.

"Yes Mom. He asked me to marry him. It was so beautiful Mom. I wish you were there too." cried Mac.

"Me too sweetie. I'm so happy for you. Where are you now?" asked her mother.

"I'm back at my apartment with Harm. Tomorrow we're going to a New Year Eve's Ball. Everybody who's anybody will be there." continue Mac happily.

"Well give my love to your flyboy dear. Call me when you decide to get married. I love you sweetie." wailed her mother.

"I love you too Mom." cried Mac.


	13. Chapter 13

Title:

**_New Trials and Tribulations_**

Author:

_rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoilers: season seven

Disclaimers: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

_Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts._

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

_part thirteen The military ball and a little surprise_

2100 hours

31 Dec 2002

Officers Club

It had been a very successful year for the US military. They had fought the war on terrorism and won. Now it was the time to celebrate. They had invited all officers grade O-3 and above to a special gala.

They had spared no expense. They had the best food and drink that money could buy. Harm and Mac had arrived a little late. As usual Harm always like to make a grand entrance. And this year was no exception since he had the most beautiful woman in the world on his arm.

As they entered the ballroom they paused for a moment to take in the ambience of the event. Before they knew what was happening they were surrounded by photographers taking their picture. It seemed to go on forever, but in reality it was only seven or eight minutes.

They joined Caitlin, Meg, Carolyn, Sturgis, Matonnie, AJ, and their guests or spouses. They even had a surprise visit from Keeter, who was shock to see the bubblehead at JAG with Harm.

While Harm and Mac were getting caught up with dinner, Caitlin noticed something reflecting light. It kept shining in her eyes. She looked around the table to see what it was, but she didn't see anything. She then asked

"All right which one of you young ladies has a new ring you want to tell us about? Is it you Bobbie? You seem to be in a hot new relationship."

"What! No ... , It's not me. I'm still trying to teach this old bubblehead how to romance me." replied a surprised Bobbie before she began to teased Sturgis. Everyone but Sturgis laughed.

Keeter pounded him on the back saying "You old sea dog, I didn't think you had it in you. You old son of a gun."

"Well I guess I haven't got her trained properly yet." replied Sturgis with a smile.

"How's that buddy?" laughed Keeter.

"I keep telling her I'm the master, you are the love slave." laughed Sturgis as everyone joined him. Now it was Bobbie's turn to feel embarrassed as she blushed deeply at Sturgis comment.

Unbeknownst to everyone Carolyn was doing a quick survey around the table. She had noticed earlier that Mac had arrived draped on Harm's arm with a smile that was glowing one hundred watts.

Usually when they showed up together they would be close, but not holding each other in such a way. And another thing they were also sitting very closely together tonight, and not sitting opposite to each other stealing glances as was their usual behavior.

"Sarah, do you have something to share with us?" teased Carolyn.

Mac was surprise that the attention was now on her. "Uh ... hymmmm ... " started Mac.

"Don't be bashful Sarah, after all you are a marine. Marines aren't afraid of expressing themselves." giggled Caitlin.

"Alright, you caught me Carolyn. I do have something to tell everyone. I went away with Harm for the holidays. Harm took me to his family home to meet his parents and grandmother. He asked me to marry him." smiled Mac happily.

"Did you say yes?" asked Keeter anxiously.

Everyone looked at him and shook their head. Then they all burst out laughing.

"What ... ?" asked Keeter.

"After spending a few days with Mac in the desert in Iran, I thought they would have gotten married four years ago." smiled Keeter.

"What?" asked AJ.

"Yeah!" replied Keeter.

"Mac offered to stay behind as collateral. The Prince told Harm that he didn't need anymore wives. Harm told him he wasn't offering him Mac as a wife. Mac was his wife. That she was staying with him only long enough till they paid him the 1,000,000 for the jet." smiled Keeter.

Everyone looked at Harm and Mac. They wanted to know if it was true. Harm just shook his head and said.

"Don't believe anything Keeter tells you. His brain lost the ability to function many years ago. He wouldn't be able remember his own name if they didn't write it on his underwear." laughed Harm.

That brought everyone to laughter once again. Harm then took opportunity to whisked Mac away to the dance floor where they spent the next hour in each other's arms dancing.

They wanted to enjoy the newness of their new relationship by themselves. Everyone else joined them on the dance floor although they didn't dance as long as Harm and Mac. They danced unaware of the photographers snapping rolls of pictures of them dancing.

Their friends watched in amazement as Harm and Mac dance together. They couldn't believed how beautifully they moved as one. They dance with style, grace, and elegance. They were envied by all as they could see the love between the two of them being expressed.

"Wow! I can't believe how good they are." observed Caitlin.

"I thought they were formable in the courtroom, but that's nothing compared to how they dance together." replied Sturgis.

"I think there is no limits to their talent. Just when you think you've seen it all from them, they take it to another level. They are truly amazing and gifted individuals." replied AJ as he shook his head in appreciation.

2300 hours

"Do you think it's safe to go back to the table now?" asked Mac.

"Yeah, I think so. It's been great to get out like this and socialized with all our friends." replied Harm.

"Yes, they all are wonderful people with great sense of humor." smiled Mac happily.

"Well then let's go back and join them Mrs. Rabb to be." smiled Harm as he held out his arm to her.

"I like the sound of that, Mrs. Rabb." beamed Mac as she took his arm. They then headed back to their table to join their friends.

"Ah ... the happy couple returns." grinned Keeter.

"We thought you might have left." smiled Sturgis.

"No, we didn't. We just needed some time alone to ourselves." replied Harm.

"You two were amazing out there. I couldn't believe that dancing could be so exciting and romantic." commented Meg dreamily.

"Thank you everyone. It's been a couple years since we been dancing together. We used to go dancing a few times a month." smiled Mac.

"Well it looked like you been dancing together all your lives. You were beautiful out there Sarah." exclaimed Caitlin.

Before Mac had a chance to say thank you, a man in a strange uniform walked up to the table. He was recognized quickly by some of the people at the table but not by all.

"Excuse me, I thought that was you out there dancing, Sarah." interrupted Mic. "You look beautiful tonight luv."

"Mic, what are you doing here?" asked Mac completely taken by surprised.

"I'm here in Washington for some joint meeting with the US Navy." replied Mic.

"When are you going back?" snarled Harm.

"In another couple days. Sarah, may I have a dance with you?" asked Mic hopefully.

A lot of time had pass, but he had realized that he was still in love with Mac and wanted another chance to be with her. He knew the manner in which he left had hurt Mac, but he knew it was the right thing to do at the time.

When he left he wasn't in a good place. He was struggling to find himself after quitting his job. He hadn't been honest with Mac. He did a lot of things without telling her. He didn't listen to her as well as he should have.

And finally he didn't let her know about his concerns about Harm and her. How he always suspected that there was something between them at the time or earlier before he came to JAG. All he wanted now was another chance. Another chance to tell her he loved her and wanted her.

"She doesn't ... " started Harm before Mac interrupted.

"Harm, please. I can talk for myself."

Mic smiled to himself. It seemed to him some things never seemed to change. Harm wasn't able to handle the fiery marine. He was probably still sulking away about not acting on his feelings for Sarah. Maybe, just maybe he still have a chance thought Mic.

"I'm sorry Mic, but my dance card is all filled up. I'm here tonight with Harm. In fact Mic, I'm going to be with Harm everyday for the rest of my life." continued Mac.

Mic began to feel ill. Had Rabb finally taken the stick out of his six and gone after Sarah. No, it couldn't be thought Mic. Harm might know a good thing when he saw it, but he wasn't able to act on it.

"Harm and I are engaged Mic. We're going to be married. And unlike you his love is unconditional." finished Mac before turning to Harm. "Come on flyboy let's dance."

Harm led Mac away to the dance floor while Mic stood there staring at his feet in disbelief. He couldn't believe that Harm had finally acted on his feelings and was now engaged to Sarah. He slowly turned and walked away.

Everyone at the table was shock to have seen Mic waltzing in and expecting to take up where he had left off twenty months ago. What was he thinking? Did he honestly think that Mac would still be here waiting for him to return?

When Mic was gone AJ stood up and bellowed "Way to go Marine. Never really cared for that pompous Aussie Ass." They all just shook their heads and laughed before joining Harm and Mac on the dance floor.

Everyone met back at the table before midnight. They all had a glass to share in a toast for the new year before the countdown began. At the stroke of midnight Harm and Mac share a very special kiss along with everyone else.


	14. Chapter 14

Title:

**_New Trials and Tribulations_**

Author:

_rooster dawn_

Classification: Harm/Mac

Spoilers: season seven

Disclaimers: The characters of JAG are the property of Donald Bellisario and Bellisarius Production, Inc. Used without permission. No copyright infringement intended. May be reproduce if unchanged, author given full credit, and no financial transaction is involved.

_Summary: Bud goes to the Seahawk. Harm and Mac prosecute. Tragedy strikes with many fallouts._

_Good feedback is good for the soul and my happiness._

_part fourteen Promotion time and a visitor_

1000 hours

4 Feb 2003

JAG Headquarters

Five weeks later everything at JAG was running as normal as possible considering. Everyone had been back for awhile now and they were working very well together.

Allison had left Harm and Mac alone as long as they were conducting themselves as professionals in the office. In fact she was getting along much better with everybody these days.

She had a good group of officers under her command and she knew it. Harm had done a good job of bringing in top officers. When the time came when the new permanent JAG came on board, she wanted to continue to be part of the team.

Allison had just finished handing out all the new cases at their weekly role call. She had some news to give them.

"I have an announcement to make. As I look around the table I see we have too many Commanders and one Lieutenant Colonel. I have just receive word that I have to change that. It's unacceptable to have that many O-5's here in Washington." grinned Allison.

There was a loud "Moan" as all the Commanders but one looked around in apprehension. Allison had been awful nice around the office recently. They all had become quite comfortable without the dragon lady on their backs.

They all began to wonder which one of them would be the unlucky one shipping out. Mac looked at all of them and smiled as if she knew something they didn't know. She saw who they were; Commanders Rabb, Turner, Pike, Imes, Mattonie, and Lieutenant Commander Austin.

Mac had to agree, JAG had become an elite group of lawyers. All the junior officers were gone and replaced with more seasoned attorneys. And soon they would have a new JAG to contend with. Some things were surely going have to change.

"Commander Rabb, front and center." ordered Allison.

Everyone held their breath. Poor Harm they thought.

"Attention to orders. As of 15 Jan 2003 Commander Harmon Rabb, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Captain in the US Navy. Congratulations. Colonel will you assist in the honor of placing Captain boards on the Commander's uniform." ordered Allison with a smile.

"Yes Ma'am!" replied Mac jumping out of her chair.

"Captain Rabb, we expect you will be providing an exceptional wet down Friday night after work." grinned Allison.

Everyone crowded around to congratulate Harm. He was the first of this elite group to make it to the rank of Captain, which they all hoped one day to accomplish.

But they all knew Harm would be the first, after all he had been the Navy's poster boy for some time now. He also was the best of a very good group of lawyers. Now all they had to do was wait their turn. They all had hope now.

1300 hours

8 Feb 2003

Rabb residence

Harm decided to have the wet down on Saturday at Mac and his place. They wouldn't have to worry about everyone being tired and over work after a tough day at the office. They would all be able to sit back and relax with the company of good friends and family.

Harm had invited the JAG staff and their family, AJ, his flying buddies Skates and Keeter, Tom Boone and his family.

Fortunately it was a mild winter day so Harm could have a barbeque. He cooked steaks, center cuts pork chops, boneless chicken breasts, hamburgers, and hotdogs for the kids.

There was plenty of cold beer and soft drinks for liquid consumptions. Mac had fixed some potato salad, macaroni salad, bake beans, and coleslaw to round out the meal. Kate and Meg had brought over the desserts, which included five types of pies, brownies, and four types of cookies.

The men spent most of the day outside drinking and talking sports while the women were inside talking about who, what and when. Mac happened to be the first target of the inquisition.

"So Sarah, we know who, we want to know what's up and when will it happen? asked Carolyn.

Mac looked around the room. In all her life she had never had this many female friends to confide in and share her fantasies with. By now they had all heard about her trip to Harm's grandmother's farm where Harm had asked her to marry him in front of his family.

What they all wanted to know was how was he? Did he live up to the flyboy image he had carried around for so many years. When could they expect them to be getting married? A lot of good questions, but she wasn't sure she had the answers.

"Well you all know the story of how Harm proposed to me, but what you may be surprised to know is we never slept together until the night he proposed. I know that might surprise many of you, but we still had a lot issues we needed to work out before we added night time activities to the mix.

But I can assure you that he has to be the best lover I have ever had. He has only one goal when we make love, to make me happy and feel loved. He's not looking to satisfy a need of his own.

I thought I could imagine every way possible we would make love in my fantasies, but I was wrong. He has ways I never even imagine were possible. As for the second part of your question Carolyn, we were thinking sometime in late May when all the roses are in bloom." smiled Mac.

"Why's May Sarah?" asked Caitlin, Meg, and Skates together.

"Harm and I met for the first time in a rose garden seven years ago. We'll probably get married in the Naval Academy Chapel at Annapolis. It's where Harm's parents were married and it's really beautiful there in the spring." smile Mac as she glowed.

They then went around the table telling everyone who they were seeing or doing. Allison was the first since she was the most senior.

"I have to thank you Sarah. If we hadn't had that talk before Christmas last year I would probably still be hung up on trying to intimidate Harm into sleeping with me.

Instead I found a wonderful man whom you met while we were skiing up in Vermont. His name is Todd Christian. And he is a Colonel in the Army. He works at the Pentagon.

Carolyn, Kate, and Meg had all met someone at a Christmas party held by the Pentagon. They all were in the navy and they all worked for an Admiral. Bobbie of course was still dating Sturgis. Though she was having a difficult time of getting him to loosen up. He was an old sea dog who had a tough time learning new tricks.

"He doesn't seem to express his emotions very well. It's like he can't seem to let go." wailed Bobbie.

They all laughed before Mac replied "It must be a squid thing. They keep opening their mouths like a fish, but nothing comes out."

Again they all laughed, but Bobbie was very happy to have someone in her life who wasn't always making demands of her. Skates had finally married her fiancee. She had spent one more year flying before finally returning to shore to work at Norfolk.

Finally as the day was winding down Mac told them she had heard from Harriet. She was doing fine. Little AJ was getting pretty big and was in kindergarten. She was working for her father in one of his office. She missed everyone and would try to visit JAG in the spring.

Meanwhile outside the men were busy chowing down and quenching their thirst with many beers. They were all starting to feel pretty good. They had been talking about sports most of the afternoon, but the last half hour had gotten into some personal areas. Tom Boone was the first to get the ball rolling into dangerous territory.

"So Captain." started Tom.

Everyone looked up and "Ooooohhhhhhh!"

"When are you going to make an honest woman out of that marine." smile Tom.

"Of all people Tom you should know not to rile a marine. The last time you

did, she nearly slam dunk your career into the slammer." laughed Harm.

"Ouch!" replied AJ as he remembered that day.

"But to answer your question you will be receiving something in the mail shortly. If you can't wait until then, it will be sometime in May after the roses bloom." smile Harm.

"Am I still going to be your best man?" Keeter sniffed as he pretended to have tears in his eyes.

"Hey I thought I was going to be your best man." whined Sturgis making a face Stan Laurel would have been proud of.

"If that's what you thought bubblehead then you thought wrong, you should have come up for air a long time ago." laughed Keeter.

"Enough you two. You both know I promised Keeter almost twenty years ago that he had first dibs." smiled Harm as he shook his head.

"Besides Sturgis don't you have something more pressing that you need to deal with?" asked Harm.

"I was afraid you were going to ask me about that. So I guess while I have all of you here, with the Captain's permission, I'm going to ask Bobbie to marry me tonight.

She has no idea this is coming. She still thinks I think like a school kid when it comes to romance. She doesn't understand that I like to keep her off her stride, thinking about what and not when." laughed Sturgis.

"Permission granted bubblehead." laughed Harm.

"Well I would get up and shake your hand Sturgis, but if I did, I would probably lose this nice comfortable chair I'm sitting in." laughed AJ.

"Besides if we all shook your hand the women inside would probably suspect something is up." added Tom.

"What about you Keeter? Has any woman tamed you yet?" asked Harm.

"Actually yes. She works with Webb by the way. She's been a go between for Webb and me for many years. I'm hoping to ask her to put up with me for many years before the end of the summer." smiled Keeter.

"That's great news buddy, what's her name?" asked Tom.

"If I told you she would kill you ... or ... punch AJ in the nose." replied Keeter laughing with everyone else.

Everybody there had heard about AJ breaking Webb's nose many years ago.

"Speaking about the spook man, just when are you getting married Webb? I heard something when I was the acting JAG that a sweet little woman had you tied up in knots. That every time she looks at you, you became Elmer Fudd." laughed Harm along with everyone else.

"Don't believe everything you hear Rabb. She actually thinks I'm Tarzan. Her name by the way is Jane Anderson. And no, you don't know her." replied Webb with a snicker.

Several hours later it was beginning to get dark and all the men were getting ready to go inside. A tall dark haired man with a full mustache wearing a Hawaiian shirt under a leather jacket walked into the back yard.

AJ and Tom Boone immediately recognized him. Everybody else was stumped. Who the hell was this old man? What world did he come from? The strange man walked up and shook Tom and AJ's hand.

"Let's go inside. I want to introduce you to everyone at the same time. He's an old buddy of Tom and mine." ordered AJ.

"Not before you get me a cold one AJ." replied the stranger.

After everyone was seated in the living room as AJ stood up and cleared his voice.

"I would like to introduce to everyone here an old friend. He's been stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii the last ten years. That's why he has the funny flowery shirt on Matonnie. He was the Pacific JAG for the last five years.

He's taking over as the JAG here in two weeks. I would like you to meet Admiral Thomas Magnum. His specialty was criminal investigations." There was a murmur throughout the house.

"Wow! Isn't he gorgeous. He might be even prettier than Rabb." Everyone laughed as Mac smacked Harm on his arm.

"Thank you AJ. I decided to have come into Washington early to hopefully find a place to lived and get settled in. I was talking to AJ the other day before coming out here. He told me about the wet down. Thought I would stop by and congratulate Captain Rabb and meet all of you and your families." smiled Thomas.

"Wow! He even has a better smile then you Harm." whispered Caitlin. AJ threw Thomas a beer. Thomas took a swig.

"No wonder why they made you a captain, you know your beer." grinned Thomas.

Everyone laughed, maybe the new JAG wouldn't be so bad after all.

"I also understand Colonel, you and the Captain are going to get married this spring. It's not a problem for me. I believe in keeping the best people here in Washington. I also know of your reputation as being the best team in JAG." assured Thomas

"Thank you Sir." replied Mac.

"Don't thank me. Anyone who can scare the pants off of Tom Boone, I don't mess with." smiled Thomas.

"Hey! I thought I told you that under attorney/client confidentiality." yelled out Tom. There was a murmur of laughter.

"Now I heard a rumor that a certain naval officer who will soon be under my command has been derelict in his duty thus far today. Commander Turner, Front and Center." ordered Thomas.

"Do you have the ring?" he whispered to Sturgis.

"Yes Sir!" replied Sturgis.

"Carry on Sailor!" ordered Thomas.

The women looked around puzzled. What was going on? Sturgis went over to Bobbie, he reached into his jacket pocket as he went down to one knee. He opened the box allowing the remaining sunlight coming through the picture window to reflect off the five karat ring.

Bobbie was starting to hyperventilate. She was completely taken by surprise. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected this. Hoped maybe, but never expected, especially so soon.

"Bobbie, I have never met a woman as wonderful and beautiful as you. You are the guiding light that shines brightly allowing for me to avoid all obstacles otherwise unseen. You have inspired me and given me confidence. You have become my life. I love you Bobbie. Will you become my wife?" asked Sturgis nervously.

Bobbie sat there stunned as did all the other ladies. She couldn't believe it. Here she thought Sturgis didn't have a clue about how to romance a woman and what did he do, but knock the winds from her sails. She was so happy that she was speechless.

"Now that's a first Sturgis. She's speechless." chuckled Keeter.

Bobbie smiled and finally relax enough to breathe. "Yes Sturgis, I'll marry you. You are the most wonderful man I know. I love you."

Everyone got up and congratulated the happy couple. At this time the three admirals took advantage of the confusion to find the three most comfortable chairs in the room. When the women who sitting in them returned they were shocked to see that their chairs were now occupied.

AJ's comment to them was "Snooze and you lose." The three of them laughed loudly as they found another place to sitS. Then Thomas yelled out "Turner! more beer."

part fifteen New Jag arrives25 February 2003

Jag Headquarters

Two weeks later Admiral Thomas Magnum arrived at JAG Headquarters to assume command from Captain Allison Krennick. He spent most of the week with Allison getting updated with what was going on at JAG at the present time.

He was quite impressed with the job Allison had done while she was in command of JAG. He had a couple of meetings during the week. The first was to introduce himself to the JAG staff.

He gave them a brief history of his time in the Navy and his time as a Private Eye working in Hawaii. During the second meeting he got updates on all the case work and assigned a few more new ones.

After the meeting Thomas asked Harm and Mac to join him in his office.

"I called you both in here to let you know I don't any problems if you both want to stay here. If you both do decide to stay all I ask is that you keep it out of the office."

"Yes Sir." replied Harm and Mac.

"From what I understand Captain from Captain Krennick, you put together a very good staff here. I have review the work that has been done here over the last eight months, I'm very impress. I don't want to do anything to change that.

In fact Captain Krennick has requested permission to stay on for awhile to work with the excellent staff here. I have given her permission to do so. Her primary focus will be working with the junior staff members to develop their prosecution skills.

Captain Rabb, I want your primary function when you're not in court to work with the junior staff members to develop their investigational skills. Colonel MacKenzie will continue to be my Chief of Staff. She has an outstanding record in her current position." finished Thomas.

Harm and Mac thanked Thomas for allowing them to stay at JAG.

****

The End


End file.
